Christmas Fire Safety Preparations
This article recommends all workplaces should review their fire risk assessment and escape plans before the Christmas period to make sure they are on top of their game and can ensure Christmas runs smoothly with reduced fire risks.
The build-up to Christmas is always a busy time with many retail shops having an increased quantity of stock to deal with which leaves their premises with more combustible materials, a higher fire loading and potential reduced escape routes.
Therefore it is a good time to review your fire risk assessment and make sure all of the recommendations have been completed and you are up to date. That way you will be better prepared to deal with any increased risks that may come your way. By making sure that your fire alarms, emergency lights and fire extinguishers are regularly maintained and tested, you will have the knowledge that they should work in an emergency situation.
Another good idea is to regularly check escape routes and clear away any unnecessary combustible materials. Keeping a daily or weekly checklist is a good idea. You can also check on your electrics and fire doors to make sure these are in good order.
https://www.newsanyway.com/2022/09/10/protect-your-business-and-employees-from-fire-risk/
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Fire Safety Tips for Landlords
This list of fire safety tips for your flat and home is useful and its always good to stay on top of fire safety advice. From my experience the most important things for fire safety in the home are:
Make sure you have a working smoke alarm (ideally mains-wired). Make sure you test it on a regular basis and change any batteries when necessary
Make sure you keep your property as clean as possible and maintain good housekeeping procedures
Keep ignition sources away from combustible materials
Keep electrical appliances switched off where possible and don’t overload sockets
If you are permitted to smoke in your property, be careful and never leaving cigarette ends unextinguished
Never leave your cooking unattended and be extra careful after consuming alcohol
https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/information/help-tenants-feel-safe-fire-safety-checklist/
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South London Council Risks
A council in South London has warned thousands of tenants are at risk after work from over 400 fire risk assessments have been uncompleted causing huge backlogs.
Having a fire risk assessment completed and then ignoring the findings defies the object and this is most likely the case with many buildings across the UK. I have often gone back and reviewed one of my assessments only to find the same issues the following year.
It would not wash in court to just say you have had the fire risk assessment completed and you view this as compliance with the law. It is due diligence on behalf of the responsible person to go through the assessment, complete the work from the action plan and share the assessment with relevant persons.
I can imagine with some councils there is a pass the buck mentality and one person passes the problem onto the next person and the assessments get lost in the system somewhat.
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Tunbridge Wells Fire
This property fire in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, was dealt with by 6 fire appliances and resulted in 3 casualties suffering from burns and smoke inhalation.
It is imperative that smoke alarms are fitted to enable occupants to safely make their escape if a fire takes hold. It is the smoke that kills and if everybody is safely out of a property then the firefighting crews can then deal with the fire in a controlled and strategic way.
I am unsure whether this was a single private domestic dwelling or whether it started in a flat and occupants had to be led to safety via the communal staircase.
If it was the latter, then a fire risk assessment should have been in place to protect that communal staircase and fire escape.
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West London Fire after construction works
This is not the first time a fire has occurred in a building with a history of recent major refurbishment works. I have often said that buildings are at risk during the actual construction phase as it often incudes opening up areas of compartmentation and sometimes introducing ignition sources.
Then there are cases when works are carried out cheaply and not up to standard. How many of todays fire safety issues are created or as a result of building works. It’s an ongoing situation as many of todays issues are trying to rectify old building construction issues but could then potentially be causing a further problem down the road.
Its important that clients use competent third party accredited contractors and don’t increase their fire risk when they are trying to do the opposite.
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East London high rise fire
This recent fire in a 18 storey high rise block of flats in East London started at the top of the block and was able to be extinguished without anybody suffering any injuries.
The fire damaged several windows at the top of the block and was extinguished by London Fire Brigade (LFB) before the fire could cause any more damage.
There were also two other fires nearby in fields at the same time as LFB faced a really busy few days. The hot weather and dry conditions can increase the chances of fires starting and spreading and extra vigilance should be put in place in these conditions.
Following basic fire safety advise can help such as:
Being careful when discarding off cigarettes (as these can smoulder for hours if not properly extinguished)
Not overloading electrical sockets and making sure these are switched off after use
Never leaving your cooking unattended
Being extra careful with BBQ’s when outside
Not using BBQs or smoking on external flat balconies
Making sure you use all electrical applications safely such as fans and switching off mobile phone chargers after use
Not leaving unnecessarily combustible materials lying around and making sure the external perimeter of your building is clear
Keeping your building or property secure to prevent unauthorised access
The above list is not exhaustive but every little helps at times like these
Stay safe
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London's Burning
London Fire Brigade (LFB) have been seriously busy the last few weeks as soaring temperatures and super dry conditions have led to a series of grass and other rural fires.
There have also been many house and other building fires which has led to a shortage of resources and cover for Fire Services throughout the country.
These wildfires can spread so quickly as the dry combustible materials can ignite and burn so readily, especially if accompanied by a moderate to strong wind flow. The main aim for the fire service is to limit the spread of these fires and to protect any nearby residential properties etc. These wildfires can easily catch firefighters out depending on the location of the fire, whatever is burning and the weather conditions.
Evacuation of nearby properties is often required and the need to protect the egress route away from the incident, should conditions change rapidly.
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Belgravia Fire London
Another huge fire broke out in London recently in a residential property in Belgravia.
Up to 80 firefighters had to extinguish the blaze which took out an upper floor and roof of an exclusive block of flats.
It’s the latest in the series of a large number of fires in London and will be interesting to establish what the cause of the fire is. I understand that nobody was injured and everybody was able to safely make their escape.
One resident was reportedly awoken by the sound of cracking noises as the fire took hold. These are very expensive buildings and I would be interested to know whether the fire started and was contained in a single flat and roof space or whether the fire spread to the communal areas and potentially other buildings via the roof space.
As fire risk assessors, we can all learn from every incident and the most
Important thing is that everybody is safe.
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