The Hazards of Oxygen Cylinders

10 July, 2015

Health, fire and education – services team up to show hazards of oxygen cylinders

Today saw the launch of a brand new and innovative short film aimed at patients who are prescribed oxygen at home yet continue to smoke, putting themselves and others at risk.

The safety film, which is about ten minutes long, was created by students from Hull College Media Department in collaboration with City Health Care Partnership CIC (CHCP CIC) and Humberside Fire & Rescue Service. It was produced in response to actual serious incidents caused by smoking with oxygen, including a fatality in 2013.

The film aims to encourage patients to reflect and think about their use of home oxygen therapy and the decisions they make in relation to smoking and careless use of an oxygen cylinder.

It highlights the fact that the consequences don’t just impact the individual, but can also cause devastating physical and emotional effects on loved ones.

The film features Julie Danby, Respiratory Specialist Nurse for CHCP CIC, she has said, “We wanted to develop a hard hitting film to get the message to really sink in, these patients are often long term smokers who have ignored decade’s worth of promotional campaigns to quit smoking.

“There is a real danger to smoking whilst using oxygen, and not just to the person smoking. We hope this film gets that message across.”

Julie plays the role of a nurse visiting a patient (played by Julie’s mum, Pat). The patient is using an oxygen cylinder at home, but continues to smoke. This leads to devastating consequences for the patient and her family.

Richard Mason, Community Safety Manager at Humberside Fire & Rescue Service said “We made the film in response to an incident in 2013, which unfortunately included a fatality. By working in partnership with CHCP and Hull College Media Department we aim to prevent future incidents.

“We visit patients who are prescribed oxygen at home to speak to them about home safety, and we will be showing this film to them to help them realise the dangers of smoking.”