Yorkshire residents warned over fire safety this Christmas
It has been reported that South Yorkshire fire service officials have made a public plea to people living in the area to consider the very real danger posed by accidental house fires during the festive period.
Bosses from the fire service drew on statistics to back up the campaign, saying that, since the year 2003, over 100 injuries had taken place in the South Yorkshire region throughout the month of December, with 10 deaths resulting from fire-related incidents.
Officers said that the main fire hazards included things like cooking food, dry Christmas trees, fairy lights and Candles.
Spokesman Steve Makepeace said:
“The risk of fire in the home is an all year round issue, but people are particularly vulnerable at Christmas for reasons ranging from unsafe electrical decorations and unattended candles, to cooking whilst under the influence of alcohol.
“People also vastly underestimate the deadly strength of toxic smoke and overestimate how long they have to escape should a fire break out.
“The reality is that just two to three breaths of smoke in a fire can render a person unconscious.
“Christmas should be a time for celebration rather than tragedy and for this reason I’m urging people to be fire aware and stay fire safe.”
Huge fines for safety breach firms
Two companies and a manager have been fined for failing to meet fire safety regulations which lead to the death of an employee. Mark Wright suffered 90% burns when an aerosol he had been instructed to dispose of exploded.
Deeside Metal Company was fined £100,000 and £10,000 in costs, Jeyes UK Ltd was fined £330,000 and £50,000 in costs. The manager of Deeside Metal Company Ltd, Robert Roberts who instructed Mr Wright to dispose of the canisters in a metal baler was also fined £10,000.
All parties pleaded guilty to the charges at Caernarfon Crown Court.
Station manager declares fire safety is still a priority
A fire chief under pressure from huge reductions to the fire services budget in South Tyneside has promised that despite the cutbacks, the ability to provide fire safety for the area will not be compromised.
After it was confirmed that there will be a 25 percent reduction in funding for Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS), amounting to about £9m over four years, the borough fire boss has moved to try and allay the concerns of the people in South Tyneside.
Hebburn fire station manager Ian Cuskin reacted to the news by stating:
“TWFRS is facing very challenging times ahead.
“In essence, this means a 25 per cent cut in our funding from central government, which is nearly £9m in efficiency savings to be found over the next four years.
“While internally there will be changes to our organisation, we are determined to ensure we continue to provide the people of South Tyneside with a first-class fire and rescue service.”
A review is currently underway into how the organisation is being run and redundancies have not been ruled out as of yet, although staffing levels are being looked at along with how the firefighting equipment available can best be put to use.
‘Are you sitting comfortably’ campaign shows sofa safety puts lives at risk
Research carried out on sofas at a testing centre in the Netherlands has found that 25 out of 27 European Union member states do not meet the required fire safety standards.
One sofa manufactured in the Netherlands burnt so fiercely that the test centre had to be evacuated demonstrating the seriousness of the problem. Some sofas tested reached life threatening heat density within 2-7 minutes of ignition. Sofas made in the UK did not reach this level of heat density for around 20 minutes.
A campaign titled ‘Are you sitting comfortably’ has been launched across the European Union in an attempt to highlight the risks to other countries. The campaign includes a website that offers an interactive tool allowing people to watch how fast their country’s sofa burnt in comparison to sofas in other EU countries.
It is important to remember that buying your sofa in the UK does not guarantee that it adheres to the required safety standards because buying in the UK does not necessarily mean made in the UK. Consumers are encouraged to check the permanent safety label which is usually found under the sofa cushions.
Former fire chief, Robert Graham MBE said “We are calling on EU decision makers to put a Europe-wide single fire safety standard in place – the same fire safety standard that already exists in the UK and Ireland. We all deserve to be safe”.
Gas cylinder fire causes County Down home evacuations
This week, 10 families who live in Millisle, County Down have had to be removed from their homes after a blaze tore down a garage in the neighbourhood.
As a fire safety precaution, an exclusion zone was set up around the building, along with road diversions, while the residents took refuge in a nearby community centre.
Two oxy-acetylene cylinders were found within the structure and the quick response from the fire service, with their five appliances, was said to have prevented any further danger.
Councillor Jonathan Bell commended the 25 firefighters from the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service for their actions in bringing the situation under control.
He said:
“The fire this evening concerned a garage and acetylene used for welding which has highly explosive qualities.
“Once again it is our police and fire service which we depend on for their expertise in times of emergency.”
The assistant group commander for Bangor, Stephen Boyd, said:
“There was a large domestic garage destroyed by fire. We are not treating the fire as suspicious — it was started accidentally.
“The road will be closed until 8pm on Wednesday night and we have to wait for the oxy-acetylene cylinders to cool down before they are safely removed.”