FIRE safety information could soon be on screen in offices across the world using a computer software package designed by a Maidstone man.

Chris Eldridge, 29, of Holland Road, and his company Eldridge Technologies Ltd, has launched LifeSaver, a pioneering new interactive computer package aimed at increasing fire safety awareness.

Mr Eldridge, a former pupil of Oakwood Park Grammar School in Maidstone, came up with the idea while working for a computer games company. He said: "I was at work one day and I thought I don't know anything about fire safety in the building. Nobody had told me what to do."

Self-taught software designer Mr Eldridge and his partner Marjorie Forbes, 29, have spent the last two years creating and promoting LifeSaver from a room at their Holland Road home.

They have sought advice from a raft or fire safety experts including the national Fire Service College, the Fire Advisory Board, central Government and various fire brigades. They hope their product will achieve an annual turnover of up to £100m.

According to the designers, what makes their programme different from other packages on the market is that is it compatible with almost every computer and only ties up a small amount of memory.

The programme includes four main screens - fire action notices, means of escape, assembly and muster points and fire prevention - and contains 70 screens in total. It can be installed on individual computers or company intranet sites.

The company hopes to adapt the programme to produce similar packages for schoolchildren and community fire safety messages. Mr Eldridge said: "We will hopefully do some good with 21st century technology. This is just one issue that a lot of people should be aware of."