New kitchen fire safety initiative launched in London
It has been revealed that London Fire Brigade has planned a series of events in the Wandsworth borough of the capital to highlight the fire risks associated with the kitchen, where 60 percent of fires in the home begin.
This comes following recent research which showed that there have been around 700 kitchen fires in the Wandsworth area since 2005.
These fires injured over 100 people and there was also one fatality and so the firefighters of Wandsworth has planned the COOKSAFE initiative to show local residents how they can take greater care when working in the kitchen.
These London Fire Brigade events will be taking place through London to highlight the important risks associated with kitchen fires.
However, it is not just households that need to consider fire safety while in the kitchen. Many businesses which run catering and food services require a busy kitchen environment to carry out their work.
This type of work can be fraught with danger and so it is important to ensure the necessary fire safety equipment is correctly installed and up to date. It is also imperative and a requirement by law that procedures are in place should a fire break out on these premises.
Blaze breaks out in Waltham Cross factory
Firefighters from across the County of Essex were called to a huge fire in a Waltham Cross factory on Wednesday morning.
The East of England fire crews responded to the factory blaze and Waltham Abbey and Loughton sent fire engines to the scene in Bryanstone Road, Waltham Cross.
More than eight appliances arrived at the industrial estate at about 0720 GMT to combat the fire, which was started by 2,000 litres of diesel catching alight, just across the border from Waltham Abbey.
The East of England Ambulance Service also sent paramedics to the incident within the hour.
A spokesman for the ambulance service, Gary Sanderson, who was present at the factory, said:
“Thankfully there were no casualties reported. We did treat a boy aged six for minor breathing problems earlier this morning, but he did not require to go to hospital.”
The firefighters tackled the blaze by using aerial ladder platforms as well as eight hoses.
The fire is not being treated as suspicious although an investigation will be underway when the area is safely secured.
If you are the owner of a factory you will know how easy it is for fires like this to start. This could result in the loss of equipment and could even pose a risk to the lives of your staff, so it is important to consider the need for appropriate fire safety training.
South Devon housing association protects tenants with fire safety training
A housing association in Teignbridge has partnered with the local fire service to undergo fire safety training, in order to protect the residents of their buildings.
As part of a pioneering new scheme, staff at Teign Housing have now been given the skills to conduct at least a basic fire risk assessment of tenants’ homes. This will allow them to recommend that safety measures such as fitting fire alarms and planning escape routes be taken by residents.
Teign Housing made the decision to get involved in the scheme after two children were killed in a fire in Torquay, in a property without fire alarms fitted. The residence was managed by Riviera Housing Trust, who later revealed that 25 per cent of their properties were not fitted with fire alarms.
Teign Housing, who has always placed a great importance on smoke alarms, is the first housing association to take part in such a partnership scheme. The CEO of the company, Mike Hanrahan, explained his motivations for getting involved, saying:
“Prevention is always better than cure.
“Fire safety has always been a priority for us, and all of our properties have hard wired smoke alarms fitted as standard.
“But after a number of fatal fires, both locally and nationally, it made us think about what else we could do to prevent a tragedy like this.”
Taking care of your fire risk management
Trying to take care of all your legal obligations in addition to actually running the business can prove to be quite difficult for any company owner. If you are unsure what you have to do in order for your organisation to comply with the current fire safety requirements, you can now turn to the specialists to help with the situation.
The fire safety specialists can assist you in managing all your fire safety procedures and bring them up to date. A complete service package is available and so you can select what you require according to your particular needs.
The training provider can perform the duties of a fire safety officer in working with the fire service with regards to inspection visits. They can also carry out the Fire Risk Assessment for you, as well as ensuring it is maintained and reviewed over time.
The fire safety training of all your employees can also be taken care of and organised on your behalf. Competent persons can also be selected and trained as Fire Wardens to the required standard.
And if you need help performing evacuation drills, which are also required by law, then this can also be managed for you, along with the upkeep of your fire safety log book.
There are many other things the specialist can do for you, so get in touch to discuss your fire risk management requirements.
The real need for fire evacuation training
When a fire breaks out in an office building or factory, the fear and need to escape can easily take over a person. However, when you panic, you are not able to think straight and may even lead yourself into further danger. This is why fire evacuation training is needed because leaving a building in the event of a fire is not always as straightforward as it may appear.
The appropriate fire evacuation procedures need to be put in place as it is also a legal requirement to conduct regular fire evacuation tests on business premises. Fire evacuation is a key component of a company’s fire safety strategy and Fire Risk Assessment – so must be treated as such.
Evacuation training will enable you to devise an appropriate evacuation plan for your building so that any potential problems are considered in advance of any incident which could occur. Then, as your staff carry out evacuation drills you can highlight any issues that may arise in terms of safety.
In fact, your Fire Risk Assessment should already highlight if you have any disabled people in the workplace or if anyone requires assistance in evacuating the building in the event of an emergency situation. This three hour course should aid you with the evacuation of the disabled and how to use evacuation chairs.
If you require a full day course then the training can also include a number of scenarios to evaluate the effectiveness of the current staff evacuation procedure.