Coroner calls for working group to improve fire safety for older people

Deputy coroner for Cork City Mary McCaffrey urged people to buy presents of good smoke alarms for loved ones this Christmas. Picture: iStock

An urgent call for a working group to improve fire safety for older citizens has been called for by a coroner following the deaths of a Cork couple in their home as they celebrated the birth of their first grandchild.

The working group should be established “as a priority” and should include local authorities, community healthcare, fire services, gardaí, and elderly care advocacy groups, deputy coroner for Cork City Mary McCaffrey said.