Cricketer Trevor Bailey has died in a fire at his home
Cricketer, Trevor Bailey has died in a fire at his home in Westcliff-on-Sea.
Bailey who was 87 years old lived in the retirement home with his wife Greta, who was rescued from the fire.
Bob Wahl from the Essex Fire Service said “Crews did a fantastic job getting into the property quickly and searching through the smoke to find the woman. She was in bed with the door shut and so that’s probably what saved her. Firefighters carried her out of the property and she was left in the care of the ambulance service. Her husband had gone to the kitchen, which is where crews found him. Unfortunately there was nothing we could do. We will now have to wait for the fire investigation results to see how the fire started”
Fire protection system upgrade to Channel Tunnel
It has been reported that the Channel Tunnel is all set to get a major fire safety enhancement within the next year, with one fire protection sprinkler having already been installed.
The fire protection system, which has been developed to use water mist, will cost Eurotunnel £20 million in total.
This new development was given the green light following a huge freight train fire not far from the French coast which occurred back in September 2008.
The sprinklers have been made to cut off the oxygen supply to the fire and thus stop it from spreading any further.
One safe fire extinguishing area has already been installed, with the other three sprinklers due to be put in place inside the Channel Tunnel by the end of 2011.
Jacques Gounon, Chairman of Eurotunnel, has confirmed that the fire protection system has been adapted towards the conditions of a working railway tunnel.
This new equipment will ensure that the Channel Tunnel is in a better position to deal with any fire-related incidents in the future.
If you are the owner of a business and you are unsure that your premises are properly equipped to tackle a fire, then you should consider calling in the professionals to conduct a fire risk assessment on your behalf.
Threat of recycling plant fire spreading now averted
A disaster scenario usually reserved for movies almost become a reality last Friday when a fire at a glass processing plant in Ellesmere Port docks was looking like it would spread to a nearby power station.
If this had happened then dangerous chemicals would have been ignited and the situation would have been much worse than it was.
Fortunately, the 75 firefighters or so with their 15 appliances managed to prevent the flames from reaching the power station just in time.
The fire crews, from Cheshire, Merseyside and North Wales, attended the fire at a Midland Glass Processing warehouse on North Road just after 1pm on Friday afternoon where they battled to gain control of the situation.
After three hours tackling the fire, the crews, assisted by workers who helped to clear the area, managed to avert the potential catastrophe.
A spokeswoman for Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service, Sian Corrigan, said:
“This had the potential to be a major blaze hence the number of resources sent to it. However, thanks to the actions of the crews they were able to prevent the fire developing from its initial state, which was relatively small although it did cause a lot of smoke.”
Advice to residential care home owners
If you are responsible for the smooth operations of running a residential care home then it is imperative that you ensure the safety of the elderly and vulnerable people in your care. Many of these people will be disabled and unable to look after themselves so it is crucial that you carry out regular risk assessments on the premises.
A ‘Fire Safety in Residential Care Homes’ course is also something that you should really consider for the training of your staff. It is one thing to be trained in providing care and assistance to those living in these types of establishments but another to understand the complexities of an emergency evacuation or other dangerous situation.
These training courses are delivered for those working in this particular industry and so will be tailored to working in care homes and how to deal with people suffering from various conditions in the event of a fire or evacuation procedure.
As well as highlighting the standard procedures that should be followed during a safe evacuation, your staff will also find out more about reducing the level of risk in the care home and using the fire-fighting equipment available to them in an emergency. Evacuation Chair training is another area covered in the course.
Fire safety initiative arrives in Dumfries
The nationwide fire safety show which has been going round Scotland to try and educate people about the very real threat posed by house fires has now reached Dumfries and Galloway.
Shoppers at Loreburne Shopping Centre came face to face with the burnt out remains of a home ravaged by fire as fire crews adopted serious measures to urge people to protect their properties against the risk of fire.
The region has suffered from a high number of house fires over the last few years and so it is hoped that this initiative will encourage people to install fire alarms in their homes.
Firefighters were ready to offer advice on fire safety to those passing by the stand and also gave people the chance to benefit from a free home visit from the fire service to check for hazards and fit smoke alarms if needed.
Fergus Ewing, the community safety minister, said:
“The Scottish Government and Fire Services are working hard to educate people about the dangers of fire.
“The most important message we would give is to not be complacent, always be on your guard, and to regularly check your smoke alarm to ensure that it is in working order – it can save lives.
“This tour will take this vital safety message directly out into Dumfries and Galloway communities, offering people practical advice on how they can keep their homes and families safe from fire.”