Half of UK fire deaths happened in buildings fitted with fire alarms
A recent report has shown that around 80% of buildings in the UK are fitted with smoke alarms.
Despite this fact, almost half of fire deaths in buildings last year happened in a building that had working smoke alarms. It is a known fact that many people disable their alarms if they go off frequently and then forget to replace the batteries.
Most fires in the home start in the kitchen and many have some involvement with alcohol. Rob Davies, from West Midlands fire and rescue service, said: “About 60% of house fires are caused by fires in the kitchen. But when you come onto fatalities and fire deaths, it’s slightly different. In fact, with 40% of fire fatalities there has been some involvement with alcohol.”
Sheila Merrill from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said that often, people who lost their lives in a fire in their home had not heard the fire alarms due to being in a deep sleep because of alcohol or medication. |Another contributing factor to these deaths is that although fire alarms are fitted, escape exits have not been planned. Ms Merrill said: “In some instances, they could have heard the alarm but their exit out of the house is actually blocked by the fire, so they’re still unable to get out. And what we have to remember is that nine times out of 10, it’s not the fire that kills you, it’s the smoke.”
The Governments chief fire and rescue adviser said: “Simple checks such as closing doors every night and avoiding overloaded plugs will help reduce the risk in the home. If the worst should happen, everyone should make sure they are prepared and have an established and practiced escape route in place,” he said.
It is important to ensure that your smoke alarms are working and The Fire Training Academy encourage you to get into the habit of testing your alarms every Tuesday. Join us on Facebook and Twitter to get your weekly ‘Test it Tuesday’ reminders.
4 killed in Wales refinery explosion
4 people have been killed and another hospitalized in a huge explosion at an oil refinery in wales.
The explosion happened at the Pembroke Dock Chevron refinery at around 6.22pm on Thursday 2nd June.
10 appliances from Mid and West Wales fire service attended the incident which was caused by a storage tanker that was undergoing maintenance exploding.
Local resident, Liz Herbert said: “I was in the house and I could feel a shaking kind of thing – and I am on the other side of the water, so it is quite a way. I looked out of the window and could see black smoke, I went upstairs to get a better view and I could see flames. The black smoke was unbelievable. We could hear all the sirens going. People were out and about having a look. It is gone now, but at the time, all along the front was jam-packed with cars and people having a look at what’s going on.”
Another local who owns the Angle village shop said: “I ran to the front and saw a huge plume of smoke. It was black and filled the sky. It must have been 50 or so metres wide. There were lots of people outside staring at the sky. We thought it had something to do with a jet at first and some people thought it might have been guns at Castle Martin – they have been firing a the range a lot recently.”
Dyfed Powys police force is investigating the incident alongside the Health and Safety Executive. Chief Superintendent Gwyn Thomas said that “Early indications show that it is a tragic industrial accident.”
Gas cylinder explodes in car boot
A man was rescued from his burning car after a leaking gas cylinder exploded in the boot of his car.
The man was in his car at around 5pm on 18th May in Stanley Park road in Wallington when he lit a cigarette, triggering an explosion that blew out all of the cards windows.
Two men who were in a truck carrying a skip, saw the incident and managed to pull the man from the burning vehicle after it crashed into a signpost.
Rob Cummings from Wallington fire station said: “I would say they have saved this mans life. The car was completely on fire when we arrived, and if he was trapped in the car no-one would have survived that.”
The driver of the car suffered burns to his face and was taken to St Helier hospital after being treated at the scene by London Ambulance Service.
Landlords told to make sure they meet safety standards
Yorkshire landlords and agents are being told to make sure they conform to current fire safety regulations after a huge blaze broke out at a building in Scarborough.
The fire broke out in the Queen Street flat in May last year. Landlord, Mr Mcferren later appeared at York Crown Court and was fined £5,000 for breaching serious fire safety regulations and ordered to pay £2,400 in costs.
An investigation into the fire showed that Mr Mcferren had rented out the flats even though there had been no fire risk assessment and there was no working fire alarm and fire detection system in the property.
Richard Hanley of North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue service said: “The majority of business premises that we visit under our audit schedule are well-managed, however, we continue to find buildings where the legislation does apply, which do not have adequate fire risk assessments or fire safety provisions. The conviction of Mr Mcferren on this matter shows how seriously the Fire Authority and the courts view those who put the safety of others at risk in the event of a fire.”
The fire service have issued a warning to remind business owners and landlords that they must comply with the relevant fire regulations.
Fire Training Academy are able to provide you with detailed information on what you need to do to ensure you meet current safety standards.
Substation fire leaves 1000 homes without power
Over 1000 homes were without electricity for several hours on Saturday morning after a fire broke out at the Riverview Road substation in Ewell.
The fire is thought to have been cause by a blown fuse which ignited dry vegetation around the substation.
A spokesman for the fire service said: “We were called to Riverview Road in Ewell to an electric substation which had developed a fault causing a massive fuse to blow. It had given out an array of sparks which set the vegetation alight. We had to be very careful how we put out the fire because of the live electricity cables in the area, we could not use water and had to use a dry powder extinguisher.”
A spokesperson for UK Power Networks said: “UK Power Networks staff have restored electricity supplies to 1,482 customers who were affected by a power interruption at 6.20am today in Ewell. Engineers acted quickly and safely to reconnect power in the area, bringing back supplies to all but 156 customers in an hour and restoring the final supplies by 8.30am. The incident was caused by a fault on a piece of equipment within a substation in Riverview Road. We apologise to customers for the inconvenience this caused.”