Fire service warns of chimney fires as winter approaches
West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service has issued a warning about chimneys as we approach the winter months.
Open fires and stoves can become a serious fire safety hazard if the correct precautions are not followed.
West Sussex fire service reported that it was called to extinguish more than 214 chimney fires in 2010.
Jackie Boyle, Community fire safety officer, said: “The weather has turned considerably colder and we know people are turning to open fires. The best piece of advice we can give to anyone planning to light a fire is to make sure they get their chimney checked and swept. If you can, inspect your chimney breast, particularly in the roof space. Make sure that it is sound and that the sparks or fumes cannot escape through cracks or broken bricks. Of course, you should also make sure you have a working smoke alarm on each level of your home – early detection saves lives.”
UK fire statistics show that each year around 30,000 houses have chimney fires.
This will mostly be caused by not getting the chimney swept often enough or burning fuel that is inappropriate for the appliance and causing tar to build up in the chimney. More information can be found on how to ensure your chimney is safe on The Guild of Master Chimney Sweeps website.
Elderly woman escapes home after ‘wheat bag’ fire
An 80-year-old woman was forced to flee her home after a hot wheat bag she was using to keep warm, burst into flames.
The lady called the fire service to her home in Cleethorpes at around 2.30am on 19th October after she was woken by her smoke alarm and saw smoke billowing from the wheat bag.
Watch manager Ken Mawer who attended the fire said: “The lady had gone to bed at 10.30pm so the bag had been smouldering for some time. At some point it had fallen to the floor and caught fire. Thankfully there was a working smoke alarm in the property which alerted her to the fire. There is no doubt that if the house had not been fitted with a smoke alarm the outcome could have been a very different one.”
Mr Mawer added: “I cannot stress enough the importance of reading the manufacturer’s instructions before using a wheat bag. I urge people to be extra careful, never wrap them up in other fabrics as this can cause them to overheat and catch fire.”
The bag is a type of pillow filled with wheat which is heated in the microwave and will remain warm for a few hours. In this incident, the wheat had overheated and started to smoulder inside the pillow.
The woman, who does not want to be named, said: “It was all right for a while and I fell asleep. The next thing I knew there was a lot of thick, dark smoke filling the room. It was enough to set my fire alarm off. I tried to keep calm but it wasn’t very pleasant. I am the sort of person that hates bothering anyone and I thought of my poor son who would have to come out. I didn’t have a choice but to ring the fire brigade. It has given me a wake up call. You just don’t expect that sort of thing to happen but the fireman told me it has happened before. I will definitely be sticking to my bed socks from now on. I am just grateful I had a working fire alarm. I don’t like to think what could have happened.”
The lady was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation but did not require hospital treatment.
In 2010 there were three deaths in the UK caused by overheated wheat bags. Surrey and Sussex Fire and Rescue Service filmed a warning video earlier this year, on the dangers of incorrect use of wheat bags.
£23,000 fine for Hertfordshire fire safety breach landlords
Two Landlords from Hertfordshire have been fined a total of £23,000 for breaching fire safety regulations.
Fiaz Mahmmud and Audrey Feegrado were found guilty of five breaches of the Housing (Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation) Regulations 2006. Both pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The pair were found guilty of failing to provide an adequate means of escape or sufficient smoke alarms. They had also failed to ensure an adequate fire risk assessment had been carried out on the property.
Council chief executive Michel Saminaden said: “I’m very pleased with the result. It lays the foundation for a number of future projects that the council is working on to improve the quality of private sector housing within the borough. These severe fire safety breaches of the Housing (Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation) Regulations 2006 could have resulted in fatalities.”
Information on current HMO regulations can be found here.
Kent firefighters urge locals to test their smoke alarms
Kent firefighters have issued a safety warning after three house fires broke out in one night in homes that did not have working smoke alarms.
Fire crews attended 3 incidents at Chartham Hatch, Whitstable and Sheppey. Luckily, no-one was seriously injured in the fires.
Kent Fire and Rescue Service’s Risk Reduction Manager Mick Smith said: “We cannot impress upon people enough the importance of fitting smoke alarms. The benefits of these small devices are endless, especially when residents are asleep and most vulnerable. If you do have a fire, they will alert you very early on and give you vital seconds in which to leave your home and call the fire service. Take steps now to protect you and your family from fire and make sure your smoke alarms are working, maintained and tested once a week, and never, ever remove the batteries.”
At the Fire Training Academy, we encourage you to get into the habit of testing your fire alarms every Tuesday – just remember to ‘Test it Tuesday’!
Join us on Facebook and Twitter and we will remind you to do just that, every Tuesday.
Prison sentence and fines for hotel manager and fire risk assessor
The manager of two hotels in Mansfield has been found guilty of serious fire breaches.
David Liu who is the manager of The Dial Hotel and The Market Inn pleaded guilty to 15 fire safety offences under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
John O’Rourke, an independent fire risk assessor who was responsible for carrying out the fire risk assessments at the hotels also pleaded guilty to 2 offences.
Nottingham Fire and Rescue Service discovered the breaches whilst on a routine inspection. It was found that the hotels did not have smoke alarms in bedrooms, no adequate means of escape, no emergency lighting and insufficient firefighting equipment.
A prohibition order was issued to the owners stating that the hotel should not be used until the fire safety standards complied with current required standards.
Mr O’Rourke and Mr Liu were sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday 8th July. Mr O’Rourke was ordered to pay £5,860 and Mr Liu £15,000 in costs. Each will serve 8 months in prison.