Former Blackburn hotel suffers further fire damage
It has been reported this week that a former hotel in Blackburn has been badly damaged by fire for the second time in a year.
The Bear Hotel in Craven’s Brow, Lower Darwen, was expected to be turned into a care home before the first blaze in March 2010 and now its future is uncertain after this latest incident which was reported around 10pm on Sunday night.
Fire has torn through the building with flames said to have been seen coming from the roof and so the road was closed until the next day as firefighters fought to bring the risky situation under control.
The fire damaged the main part of the accommodation block.
An inquiry is now being carried out by the fire service and the police into what started this latest blaze.
Future plans for the former hotel have been put on hold for the time being.
If you are the owner of an establishment such as a hotel or guest house then it is imperative that you employ safety measures to ensure that your guests can remain safe while on your premises.
There are many things that you can do; from getting trained in fire safety to installing fire equipment, to comply with the current regulations.
Fire service reiterates need for working smoke alarms
Following the Southampton shop fire, which we detailed yesterday, the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service have reinforced their fire safety directive that a building should contain a minimum of one fully working fire alarm on every floor.
The fire in the city centre on Thursday morning, where three people were treated for injuries sustained in the blaze, has led to this reminder from the fire service.
The fire service has also stressed that these working fire alarms should ideally be installed in all rooms apart from the bathroom and kitchen of a home. These exceptions are because the hot water steam and cooking smoke can set off false alarms.
Shaun Cheeseman, Watch Manager at St. Mary’s Community Fire Station, said:
“Your working smoke alarm will give you very early warning of a fire – but when it sounds, you will need to know what to do. Think about how you will call the Fire and Rescue Service. Your working smoke alarm will give you the warning and the time to get out, get the fire service out… and stay out.”
This advice could help to save lives so it is important for all home and business owners to take heed of these fire safety warnings.
Is Terry the new special one?
Fire Training Academy were recently chosen to provide training at Chelsea football club to Roman Abramovich’s personal team and support staff.
Terry and the team will be making sure Mr Abramovic’s personal protection team are fully trained in fire safety and prevention and in the event of an incident, are able to tackle it safely and quickly.
Fire safety advice offered to shoppers in Stirling
It has been reported that shoppers at the Thistles Shopping Centre in Stirling were faced with the true reality of what a house fire can do last week, where fire crews staged a fire safety event.
On display at the two-day event were the devastated contents of a living room which had been ravaged by flames.
This startling realisation was set up to highlight the effects of a fire on the home and to remind people that they really need to ensure that their property is protected, following a number of fatal house fires in Scotland during the Christmas holidays.
As well as fire safety advice offered to the public, fire crews also gave shoppers the chance to take advantage of a free home fire safety visit where the property will be checked for fire hazards.
Central Scotland Fire and Rescue Service’s Douglas Dick, the station manager responsible for community safety, said:
“A home fire safety visit is a quick and easy way to make sure your home is safe. Fire service staff will make sure that you have sufficient smoke alarms and that they are installed correctly. If necessary they will install new smoke alarms free of charge.”
What employees should do to reduce fire risk
While fire safety is often left to the professionals, certainly in the event of an emergency situation, there are things that all workers should know and do in order to ensure that their working environment is a safe place to carry out their daily tasks.
The day to day risks could be something like not leaving the bins too close to the building where arson attacks often take place. If the bin is full of combustible materials then it won’t take much to set it on fire. And then the fire could easily spread further.
Everybody can help to make the office safer, by ensuring that escape routes are not blocked off and fire fighting equipment like extinguishers are not being used as door stops or hidden under business materials or stuffed in a cupboard somewhere.
It is important to make sure that wires are not left exposed and that any ineffective electrical equipment is reported to the technical staff who can deal with anything that could start a fire in the building.
There are many more things that can be done, although it is imperative that certain members of staff are sent on fire training courses to be able to effectively carry out the role as fire warden for the organisation.