News - Whale Fire

Regular fire safety checklists

Kent Fire and Rescue Service offering good advice to companies returning to work following the Coronavirus outbreak.

It will be an important time to make sure your fire risk assessment is up to date and you are complying with the significant findings.

You should make sure all of your fire safety systems are working properly and being maintained and tested in accordance with the relevant British Standards.

I would suggest you implement simple daily or weekly fire safety checklists to include the following:

Make sure your fire doors are not wedged open

Make sure your exit routes are kept clear

Make sure your final exit doors can open easily

Checking the perimeter of your building is clear

Checking the amount of combustible materials on site and reducing if possible

Checking your fire extinguishers are in place and secure

For all of your fire risk assessment needs please contact us:

West Sussex Industrial Fire

Firefighters in West Sussex have recently been putting out this large industrial fire near Brighton which has caused the evacuation of nearby premises.

Large explosions were heard and scrap metal is involved. Residents nearby are being asked to keep windows closed for their own safety.

https://lnkd.in/drAUpiX

For Brighton Fire Risk Assessments please visit our Whale Fire website:

https://lnkd.in/dqetZt5

Newcastle Vehicle and Waste Fire

Firefighting crews have been fighting a large vehicle and waste fire near Newcastle.

It’s important for all premises to ensure they have a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment in place to reduce the chances of a fire starting by as much as is practically possible.

This assessment should consider access and the potential impact for firefighting crews and also access to water supplies.

https://lnkd.in/dvNbjyJ

For fire risk assessments in and around Newcastle visit here:

https://lnkd.in/gmzkzZH

Whale Fire Risk Assessments

For all of your fire risk assessment needs visit our Whale Fire website:

http://www.whalefire.co.uk

Whether it’s residential or commercial, throughout the UK, we can provide you with professional, third party accredited fire risk assessments. We are also safe contractor accredited.

We offer a client friendly service and adopt a common sense pragmatic approach to our work making sure that we work with you rather than against you. We provide realistic timescales for work to be completed and understand that Building Control regulations are not retrospective.

https://lnkd.in/dY9KDFB

https://lnkd.in/eiSWx_F

Knock On Effect

This article details how an insurance company is advising residents to take extra care with fire safety measures during this lockdown episode.

It’s worth a read but what I think needs highlighting is the cause and effect of decisions and the knock on effect.

As the many side effects of the Coronavirus virus now begin to appear, this is proving to be one of them. You deal with one problem, you get another.

Grenfell highlighted a massive deficiency in the safety of cladding materials on high rise blocks of flats. This has led to Compartmentation issues beyond belief. One problem leads to another.

People locking down equals massive damage to the economy. One problem becomes another.

There’s no getting round it we just need to be aware.

For fire safety advice please contact us:

https://lnkd.in/eiSWx_F

https://lnkd.in/g-w6xmH

Merseyside Industrial Fire

These industrial fires in Merseyside just confirm how important it is to have carried out a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment.

When returning to work after lockdown you must ensure you have an up to date fire risk assessment in place and are completing the requirements in the action plan.

Often accidental fires can be avoided or their impact lessened by just taking simple measures including:

Turning off any unnecessary electrical appliances

Competing PAT testing and your five year fixed circuit and electrical installation test

Removing as many combustible materials as possible from your building

Maintaining your fire safety systems

Not smoking within close proximity to your building

Not wedding open fire doors

Having security measures in place and not easily allowing unauthorised persons in your building

Never blocking your fire exit doors

Making regular checks of all of the above

For Liverpool fire risk assessments click here:

https://lnkd.in/gb58reh

https://lnkd.in/d3FqcwQ

Birmingham High Rise Madness

From £43000 to £500,000, that is the potential difference in insurance premiums from one year to the next for these flat residents in Birmingham.

This is due to the cladding and increased risk this now provides.

There is also talk of a walking watch which will only add to the cost and frustration of residents.

Some residents saying this is consuming them and having a major effect on their lives.

My issue with all of this is how every building is being treated the same when it comes to the cladding issue. Of course if dangerous cladding has been identified then measures have to be taken to remove it and make the external facade of the building safe again.

However, there are so many more factors that need to be considered rather than treating every building exactly the same. For me, here are some of those factors:

Height of building and number of escape staircases

Proximity of flat kitchens to external wall

Provision of an AOV smoke clearance system

Provision of Part 6 detection systems in flats

Exact category of cladding in relation to risk

Maintenance of fire safety systems

This list is not exhaustive.

I simply feel more needs to be done to protect residents who are currently facing enormous levels of stress with this lockdown situation, no gardens and now ever mounting levels of debt. Being told the same flat you paid a small fortune for is currently worthless is just not reasonable, fair or in anyway justified.

Risk and hazard versus control measures and costs. Different problem, same equations.