House fire: Smoke alarm saves five year old child from fire
Early on Saturday morning a 5 year old child was saved from a house fire because the family had a working fire alarm, the emergency services announced.
Fire crews from Newcastle Emlyn, Crymych and Cardigan attended the fire at Capel Iwan to find on arrival, the roof well alight.
A working smoke alarm woke the occupants and ensured their safe removal, including that of the five-year-old girl who was sleeping in the loft. If this alarm had not operated then then Watch Manager Emyr Jones said he was convinced that they would now be dealing with a tragedy.
This really goes to show how vital a working smoke alarm can be in saving lives. If you haven’t got one, please get one today or if you have one make sure you test it and it is working correctly.
Suspended sentence for fire safety breach landlord
A Lancashire landlord has been given a suspended prison sentence after pleading guilty to breaching fire safety regulations.
Neal Gilligan, who is the owner of several properties in Lytham St Annes pleaded guilty to the charges brought against him at Preston Crown Court on 11th October.
Fire officers discovered the breaches after a fire broke out in one of the properties. It was found that an sufficient fire risk assessment had not been carried out and fire alarms, extinguishers and emergency lighting were not working properly.
Investigators discovered that all seven of Mr Gilligan’s properties were found to have serious fire safety failings.
The Judge at Preston Crown Court said: “It is a miracle no-one was injured or put in harm’s way,” said Susan Beech. “You showed a careless, if not wilful disregard for the safety and lives of your tenants, putting rental income before the safety of those whose rent you were only too keen to take. There is a need to send a clear message to others that disregard for important safety precautions, either once or over a prolonged period, will not go unmarked or unpunished.”
Sheffield Fire Service urge you to ‘Press The Button’
Fire chiefs in Sheffield are urging people to sign up to their Press The Button campaign in an attempt to get people to check that their smoke alarms are in working order.
The campaign comes after crews rescued a woman from her burning flat and discovered that the smoke alarm had been disconnected.
The woman was found face down on her bed at the Royal Exchange Works, Lady’s Bridge.
The fire started when a pan in the kitchen caught fire at around 2am.
Group manager Mick Mason said: “But for the swift actions of our fire crews, this could easily have been a much more serious incident. It’s shocking that people continue to disconnect smoke alarms, which can give them vital extra minutes to escape in the event of a fire.”
South Yorkshire’s firefighters have attended around 100 fires in homes where smoke alarms had been removed or where not working.
Visit www.pressthebutton.co.uk to sign up.
Fire alarm alerts mother to cooker fire
A mother has been praised by firefighters for her quick thinking after a fire broke out in her home.
Firefighters in Milton Keynes attended the incident which started when a toddler in the home turned the cooker on which then caused cooking oil inside the cooker to over heat and burn.
Two crews from Great Holm Fire Station attended the incident in Boycott Avenue, Oldbrook.
Crew Manager, Danny Moore said: “A toddler had managed to turn the cooker on, and a small fire started caused by food and cooking oil still in the oven. We turned up to find a heavily smoke-logged house, and the residents safely outside in the rear garden. The mother explained that she hadn’t smelled or seen any sign of the smoke. The activation of a smoke detector was the only thing that alerted her to the danger. It enabled her to turn off the cooker and evacuate the property with the toddler and an older girl, with no injury to any of them. I praised her actions, as they reinforced one of our key safety messages to people in the event of a house fire – get out, stay out and call 999. Once again, working smoke alarms have proved their value in alerting people to a fire in its early stages.”
Landlord fined over £15,000 for fire safety breaches
A Salford landlord has pleaded guilty to breaching fire safety regulations.
Raviv Dozetas, pleaded guilty to five breaches of the Regulatory Reform Fire Safety Order 2005 and to one offence under the Housing Act 2004 in a prosecution by Bolton Council. He was convicted at Bolton Magistrates’ Court on 18th May 2012.
The conviction follows an investigation carried out by Bolton Council officers on 6th October 2011, at a four storey block of flats in Bolton.
It was found that the fire alarm wasn’t working properly, smoke detectors in the flats had been covered up with blanking caps, self-closing fire doors and emergency lighting were not working and there was no firefighting equipment anywhere in the building.
Dozetas admitted that he was responsible for the premises and had not carried out a Fire Risk Assessment.
Dozetas was fined £3,500 for not carrying out a fire risk assessment and for failing to provide an adequate fire alarm and £1,000 each for the other offences. He was also ordered to pay the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service £3,285.75 in costs.
He was also fined £1,000 for renting out the property without a licence and £1000 in costs to Bolton Council.
Peter O’Reilly from GMFRS said: “There were nine flats in the building and Mr Dozetas profited from the rent whilst putting the tenants at risk. A private landlord should ensure that their flats are safe and this case highlights how GMFRS works closely with our partners to ensure the residents of Greater Manchester are safe. Prohibiting a building is a serious step particularly when it means people have to leave their homes, however Mr Dozetas’ disregard for the safety of his tenants left us with no choice until he put matters right.”
Nick Peel, Bolton Council’s Executive Cabinet Member for Regulatory Services said: “This successful joint prosecution sends out a message that the council and its partners will seek to take the strongest action against landlords who fail to maintain a safe home for their tenants. Our housing and public health team actively pursue those landlords who fail to license properties that meet the relevant criteria. We would like to remind landlords, of privately rented properties, that they should visit and check their properties on a regular basis and ensure that they are safe and free from serious hazards.”