Oldham Fire Service Website Translation Guide 2026

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service has quietly published a plain-language guide that lets Oldham households read every safety alert, school visit notice, and home-check form in the language they speak at home. Released in February 2026, the one-page sheet explains how the translation bars already hiding inside Chrome, Safari, Edge and Firefox can turn English pages into Polish, Urdu, Bengali or dozens of other tongues at the click of a right-hand mouse button.

The service is careful to say the computer-rendered words will not be perfect, but they promise neighbours will still grasp whether tonight's chip-pan warning applies to their street or if next week's free smoke-alarm clinic still has spaces. No extra software is required; the browsers detect a page written in English and offer to rewrite it once users follow the printed steps.

Chrome owners simply right-click anywhere on a GMFRS page and pick 'Translate to...', while Safari readers open the 'View' menu at the top of the screen. Edge places a small language pill in the address bar, and Firefox either pops the choice up automatically or hides it behind the three-line 'hamburger' menu in the top corner. Each method keeps the original layout, so phone numbers, station addresses and application buttons stay exactly where they were.

Fire officers hope the move will chip away at stubborn figures showing that households with limited English remain twice as likely to suffer serious house fires. By giving residents independent access to advice on candle safety, high-rise evacuation plans and summer moorland barbecue bans, the brigade believes it can reach tenants who might never ring the switchboard for a verbal translation.

The guide finishes with direct links to Google, Apple, Microsoft and Mozilla help pages, acknowledging that browser menus can shift after updates. Staff stress the tool is not a replacement for the 999 emergency line, which will always answer in English, but it does mean preventative guidance can now be scanned privately before a crisis begins.