A rise in household fires caused by cultural ceremonies has the Fire Service concerned there is a relaxed attitude to fire safety.
AWARE OF THE RISK: Zahara Abbawaajii takes part in a regular Oromo coffee making ceremony. The Fire Service is concerned by some cultural traditions that pose a fire risk.
But a few basic rules will prevent a celebration turning into a nightmare, or bans, Fire Service education officer George Stephens says.
"There are many cultural activities that use fire or heat-related objects," he says.
Such traditional occasions are the Pacific Island umu, Maori hangi, barbecues, braziers, the use of candles during religious events and prayers, and the African Oromo coffee making ceremony.
A common theme involves households taking down their fire alarms or putting a plastic bag over them during an occasion, then forgetting to rearrange them correctly, Mr Stephens says.
He says it is important that people get into the habit of installing smoke alarms correctly so they know about the fire first before it becomes dangerous.
It is also common for people to take part in a prayer, but forget to put the candle out afterwards.
"Never leave a burning candle unattended," Mr Stephens says.
"We also attend cooking fires in garages that have LPG cylinders around."
New Zealand Oromo Association chairman Abduro Witago says the coffee making ceremony has caused a few home fires.
The ceremony, which uses equipment such as a portable gas oven, heated coal and burning incense, makes it a high fire risk.
The community can perform the ceremony up to four times a week.
It is a traditional way of coming together and communicating with one another, Mr Witago says.
"As long as we aren’t told we are not allowed to make it, then it is okay," coffee maker Zahara Abbawaajii says.
"It can lead to something devastating. So it is important that people understand and be aware," she says.
Mr Stephens says the Fire Service welcomes and celebrates cultural diversity, but extra caution is required to keep the number of fires down.
"Preplanning, increased awareness, a few basic rules and systems in place, will hopefully eliminate a disaster," Mr Stephens says.
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