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.
Blaze breaks out in Waltham Cross factory
Firefighters from across the County of Essex were called to a huge fire in a Waltham Cross factory on Wednesday morning.
The East of England fire crews responded to the factory blaze and Waltham Abbey and Loughton sent fire engines to the scene in Bryanstone Road, Waltham Cross.
More than eight appliances arrived at the industrial estate at about 0720 GMT to combat the fire, which was started by 2,000 litres of diesel catching alight, just across the border from Waltham Abbey.
The East of England Ambulance Service also sent paramedics to the incident within the hour.
A spokesman for the ambulance service, Gary Sanderson, who was present at the factory, said:
“Thankfully there were no casualties reported. We did treat a boy aged six for minor breathing problems earlier this morning, but he did not require to go to hospital.”
The firefighters tackled the blaze by using aerial ladder platforms as well as eight hoses.
The fire is not being treated as suspicious although an investigation will be underway when the area is safely secured.
If you are the owner of a factory you will know how easy it is for fires like this to start. This could result in the loss of equipment and could even pose a risk to the lives of your staff, so it is important to consider the need for appropriate fire safety training.
Major fire starts at Glasgow tyre storage centre
A serious fire has broken out at a tyre storage facility in Glasgow, causing major travel disruption in the local area.
Fire crews believe that the fire started in a vehicle repair workshop on the Ibrox site yesterday morning, in a lock-up dealing in used tyres and scrap materials. Seven fire appliances were summoned to the scene, and 20 firefighters battled the blaze.
Despite their efforts, the severity of the fire meant that local residents were evacuated from their homes and nearby roads closed due to the thick clouds of smoke billowing from the site. It has also been reported that Ibrox underground subway station was temporarily closed as a result of the fire.
In addition to the smoke and flames, local residents have also reported hearing the sound of gas canisters exploding from within the site.
It is not yet known whether the storage centre was fitted with fire alarms or other fire prevention measures, but the fire service arrived very promptly on the scene. A representative from Strathclyde Fire & Rescue Service has briefly confirmed what happened, saying:
“We received a call just before 0800 BST to a lock-up fire. There are tyres at the site as well.”
Purchasing the right fire fighting equipment
Every business needs to take fire safety into consideration. This is a legal requirement for an organisation and there are many things that have to be addressed. One of these is getting a suitable number of fire extinguishers.
As an employer you are required by law to provide your staff with the necessary fire fighting equipment to be able to tackle a fire in the workplace. You are also legally obliged to select a competent individual to service the equipment on a regular basis, at least once a year.
In addition to choosing a specialist company that can supply this fire fighting equipment, you can also now arrange for the servicing of these fire extinguishers from the same provider to ensure you continue to meet all these fire safety regulations.
When purchasing this equipment you can rest assured that the fire extinguishers provided are all of an exceptionally high quality and are made to BS EN3 standards for the different classes of fire. At the same time as ordering this fire safety equipment you can also take advantage of the fire extinguisher stands, fire safety signs and fire blankets which are available.
The latest fire fighting equipment can be ordered online or you could choose to speak to the fire safety specialist directly to ensure your company is up to date with its legal fire safety obligations.
Experts say popular building method may pose fire risk
Following a number of fires in timber frame constructed properties a debate has now been opened as to whether this building method may be unsafe.
This traditional form of building construction is currently the most popular method for social housing in the United Kingdom. However, government statistics have only gone on to prove what fire safety specialist feared, that this housing is a potential fire risk to those who live in them.
It has been found that fires at flats which are built using this method have more chance of spreading than other housing types.
The technical director of the Fire Protection Association, Jim Glockling, has warned that it is impossible to know the scale of the issue, although he expects that it could be affecting thousands of people living in flats.
He added:
“Often these blocks are put up four at a time. When we investigate a fire and find a construction fault in one, can we assume the other three buildings are perfect? Possibly not. They might need a close look too.”
Bob Neill, the fire minister, said of these concerns:
“We take fire safety very seriously and are aware of the questions raised about timber-framed buildings. The new government is listening to the public’s concerns carefully and will tackle them head-on.
“However, I also want to reassure people that on the whole we have a very good record in this country of making our buildings safe and reducing fire deaths.”