Recent fire news from across the UK
Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service were called to a fire in a Duns warehouse last Tuesday afternoon.
Due to the fact an acetylene cylinder was found at the Scottish Borders property by firefighters, a cordon had to be set up around the scene.
The fire was eventually extinguished before it could reach the dangerous asbestos located in the roof of the building.
In other news, fire crews from Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service were called to a fire at a waste management facility in Bootle last Tuesday morning.
An investigation has been launched into the cause of the blaze on Bankhall Lane which burned around 120 tonnes of household rubbish.
Finally, a blaze at an unused Chesham hospital in Buckinghamshire is being treated as suspicious.
Over 25 firefighters from Amersham, Beaconsfield, Chesham and High Wycombe attended the scene at Chesham Cottage Hospital last Monday evening to put out the fire.
Accidental fires, as well as arson, are becoming a widespread problem for businesses in the UK. This is why the appropriate fire safety measures are necessary for every organisation. It is imperative that selected members of staff are trained to be fire wardens. Make sure you consider sending your employees on a fire training course today.
Warning over fire services in England
Should this country be struck down by a flu pandemic or industrial action the fire service would find it hard to cope with such emergency situations, an Audit Commission study has found.
The findings of the study which looked at the 46 fire authorities in England warned that public safety would be at risk in circumstances like strike action or widespread power failure. This is because specialist equipment could not be guaranteed to be ready in these instances.
However, most areas may still be able to provide a level of service due to a loss of staff.
The Audit Commission Chairman Michael O’Higgins said:
“It is reassuring to find that most areas have robust plans in place to cope with loss of staff. Of concern, though, is that public safety may be at risk if major disruption occurs across several fire and rescue authorities and lasts for a long time.
“In these circumstances we also discovered that specialist equipment designed to deal with the aftermath of terror attacks or major natural disasters is less likely to be deployable because of demands on firefighter resources.”
This news comes in the wake of budget cuts which are affecting fire and rescue teams throughout the United Kingdom.
Widespread opposition to fire service cuts
It has been revealed today in new research that the majority of people are against the possibility of funding cuts to the fire service.
YouGov conducted a survey on behalf of the Fire Brigades Union with more than a thousand adults questioned.
Results showed that over 90 percent of them would prefer the volume of firefighters on the frontline to either remain the same, or even be greater.
Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary, said:
“The Government, in planning to cut frontline firefighters, is acting in direct opposition to the view of the overwhelming majority of the British people.
“It is not true that, when we oppose cuts, we are acting in the interests of firefighters alone. We are acting to protect a service that saves lives and one that the public values highly.”
The research by the consulting group also found that 90 percent of people saw the fire and rescue service in the UK as being good value for money.
The Fire Brigades Union believes that a number of firefighter jobs up and down the country will be lost due to the reduction in public spending by the Government. It is also on the brink of industrial action in London regarding new contracts.
Manchester MP advises against cuts to fire service
MP Tony Lloyd has risked the wrath of the fire authority by questioning the wisdom of job losses due to recent budget cuts, warning that this could pose a ‘serious risk’ to the safety of the public.
The Fire Brigades Union expect around 150 jobs to be lost after a reduction in the Greater Manchester budget. The number of firefighters employed on 999 fire engines may also be dropped down considerably.
Labour MP Mr Lloyd said:
“It is clear these cuts cannot be implemented without serious risk to residents and will put in jeopardy the brigade’s ability to respond to real emergencies.
“Senior people in the fire service share the concerns I have. I unashamedly have links with lots of trade unions and if they bring issues of public concern to me I will raise them.”
However, Councillor Paul Shannon (Liberal Democrat), Chairman of Greater Manchester’s Fire and Rescue Authority, has responded by saying:
“I question Tony Lloyd’s sincerity as he’s not even picked up the phone to the chief fire officer or me to raise his concerns. The fire authority is picking up the pieces following Labour’s recession.
“The broad future strategy was agreed unanimously, with all-party support – including 14 Labour councillors.
“Tony Lloyd should apologise for his scaremongering and irresponsible comments.”
New kitchen fire safety initiative launched in London
It has been revealed that London Fire Brigade has planned a series of events in the Wandsworth borough of the capital to highlight the fire risks associated with the kitchen, where 60 percent of fires in the home begin.
This comes following recent research which showed that there have been around 700 kitchen fires in the Wandsworth area since 2005.
These fires injured over 100 people and there was also one fatality and so the firefighters of Wandsworth has planned the COOKSAFE initiative to show local residents how they can take greater care when working in the kitchen.
These London Fire Brigade events will be taking place through London to highlight the important risks associated with kitchen fires.
However, it is not just households that need to consider fire safety while in the kitchen. Many businesses which run catering and food services require a busy kitchen environment to carry out their work.
This type of work can be fraught with danger and so it is important to ensure the necessary fire safety equipment is correctly installed and up to date. It is also imperative and a requirement by law that procedures are in place should a fire break out on these premises.