Essex businesses reminded over fire alarm response changes
Office and factory owners in Essex have been warned that from today there will be no response by Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS) to automatic fire alarms.
The decision to reduce the response with regards to business premises has been made in order to lower the risks to the public by concentrating resources on emergency situations.
Fire crews will not respond to certain calls which come from automatic alarms in these business premises, or 999 calls where the person on the phone in telephone kiosks hangs up.
ECFRS hope that they will be able to improve their response service to homes in the area after they revealed that 97 percent of these automatic fire alarm cases are false.
Chief fire officer David Johnson expects resources to be utilised more effectively, placing the fire safety initiative back on commercial and industrial businesses to look after their own alarms.
He said:
“I am sure that home owners and businesses would rather our fire crews and appliances are ready to respond to their real emergencies, rather than them not being available because they are sitting outside factories or offices dealing with yet another of the thousands of false alarms that the service gets on a yearly basis.”
Flyers have been sent out to all businesses in the county explaining to them about the new system and warning them of their responsibility in maintaining their alarm systems more effectively.
Inquiry into care home fire tragedy draws to a close
It has been reported that an inquiry into the cause of the Rosepark Care Home fire, which took the lives of 14 elderly residents back in 2004, is due to hear final submissions before a deliberation is made.
The investigation into the cause of the fatal accident at the premises in Uddingston, South Lanarkshire, is considering whether the deaths could have been prevented by any reasonable precautions taken by the owners, as well as looking to identify any defects in the safety measures in place at the care home.
The inquiry is taking place at Hamilton Sheriff Court where it is being heard by Sheriff Principal Brian Lockhart who said:
“This inquiry has been noteworthy both in respect of the length of the proceedings and the number and complexity of the issues that have arisen.”
Legal action was initially brought against the owners of the care home but no convictions were made.
In these incidents, while it is important to establish what actually happened, it is always necessary to consider if it could have been prevented in the first place. Fire safety is something that all care home owners need to think about, and if they find that their current measures are not adequate, they need to look at having a fire risk assessment.
Protecting the guests staying at your establishment
Whether you are the owner of a small guest house, with sporadic bookings, or a large bed and breakfast, where people are frequently checking in and out of the premises, you still need to ensure that the fire safety protocols which are in place are adequate for your business.
The best way to ensure that you are keeping up to date with current regulations regarding fire safety and provide for the customers who come to stay with you and rely on your fire procedures, is to send your staff on an appropriate ‘Fire Safety in Guest Houses’ training course.
The challenges faced by businesses in this sector are different to those in other hospitality industries and unique to this situation, so it is necessary to make sure that you are fully prepared for all eventualities, including the threat posed by fire.
As there will always be a varying number of people on the premises at any one time, staying as guests and not employees, you need to put in place an effective system for checking that everyone is accounted for in the event of a fire evacuation.
By sending your employees on such a course, you can make sure that come the end of the training, these new fire wardens will be well-versed in fire safety procedures and how to deal with such an emergency situation.
Welsh homes all set for new fire sprinkler systems
The Welsh Assembly are expected to pass a measure later this year which would see all new properties in Wales installed with automatic sprinkler systems for fire safety.
The measure is under consideration for Welsh law and would include care homes and university residencies as well as new-build houses in the country.
Vale of Clwyd AM Ann Jones, who put forward this new proposal and is now looking for support, said:
“After three years of campaigning and scrutiny we have seen a compelling moral and technical case for this life-saving device which has been working for decades in, amongst other places, cities in the USA and Canada.
“With sprinklers fitted, new homes in Wales will be amongst the safest in the world and that will go for new care homes and university accommodation too.
“Over 100 people have died in house fires in Wales since 2004 and we now know that sprinklers could have saved many of these lives.”
The three fire and rescue services in Wales have backed the new measure, which has also received encouragement from the Fire Brigades Union, the National Fire Sprinkler Network and the Chief Fire Officers Association (UK).
Despite the general consensus, there have been a number of questions raised through the consultation process, with the National House Building Council (NHBC) remaining neutral on its position.
The need to consider an effective fire alarm solution
Fire alarms are not just something every homeowner needs to carefully consider in order to reduce the danger to lives in the event of a fire; business owners should also seriously think about the installation of the right kind of fire alarm system on their work premises.
A fire alarm system is crucial in the unfortunate scenario that a fire breaks out in the office or factory. The presence of the fire and smoke will be detected by the alarm and the response can mean a number of things depending on the type of equipment you select.
Due to the fact that there is a wide range of fire alarm systems available to buy these days, it is becoming more and more important to choose the most appropriate one to your requirements and circumstances.
The right solution will differ from business to business and so should be implemented according to your needs. There are entry-level as well as more complex systems on the market and these can include; conventional alarms, twin wire fire systems, automatic fire detection, wireless alarms and remote monitoring.
Why not discuss your requirements with the fire safety professionals who not only can supply these fire alarm systems, which comply with the current legislation, but also offer installation and maintenance services too.