Please close your eyes. No wait, then you won’t be able to read this. Hmmm…okay, DON’T close your eyes, but go to that piece of your imagination that lets you see situations. And imagine this one. There is a fire at work. Flames, smoke, electricity off, alarms – the whole shebang. Now in this situation, would you be able to easily pick out your office fire marshal? In fact, do you even know who your fire marshall is?

Well, your workplace should have someone who is designated as the fire marshal – or fire warden as they are also known. This lucky person is the one who is trained in what to do if there is an emergency situation at work. So this person is not a trained firefighter, they are a ‘civilian’ who is trained to assist in fire evacuation procedures at work. The lucky things. Now, as I said before – do you know who your fire marshal is? You might know their name (perhaps), but in a large organisation a name is not always enough. Just knowing someone’s name won’t help in an emergency situation. So, the lovely folk at Fire Protection Online have some tip-top products that will assist you in instant fire marshal recognition.

The first of these products is a hi-vis fire marshal vest. This vest does exactly what it says on the tin. It is a vest for your fire marshal which will make them highly visible, because fortunately not everyone wanders around wearing luminous yellow outerwear (or, in fact, underwear one hopes!). This ultra-fashionable item should alert you to the fact that the person wearing it is a fire marshal, as it has the words ‘fire marshal’ on it. Simple, but effective.

My favourite item though, has to be the megaphone. Imagine hearing my dulcet tones magnified across vast acres of space. A sight (or sound) to behold, I’m sure you’ll agree. One of these little bad boys will ensure that your fire marshal will be heard loud and clear – and in an emergency, that is exactly what you need.

And last (for today), but not least, there is the lightstick. Now I hear lightstick and immediately get images of all-night raves and nightclubs leaping into my imagination. However, the ones I am talking about are bigger, better and brighter. These sticks last for a whopping 12 hours, and come in a variety of colours (just to make sure things look pretty whilst also being safe). When emergencies hit, and electricity fails, these lightsticks will light the way for your safe escape.

As you can see from the few bits I have talked about here, there re many ways to equip a fire marshal, but don’t forget that effective training is just as important. Happy marshalling! 

Found a great site today – it makes fabulous items, such as belts and handbags out of old fire hoses. Love it!!

The company is called Elvis & Kresse, and products from their range have been worn by such celeb-tastic people as Cameron Diaz, who modelled it in the June 2009 issue of US Vogue. They have also been to a reception at Downing Street for British entrepreneurs – and took the chance to snap a picture of the Downing Street policeman with one of their handbags!

Their website says that Elvis & Kresse create stunning life-style accessories by re-engineering seemingly useless waste. Their pioneering Fire-Hose range is, as the name suggests, made from de-commissioned British fire brigade hoses. These hoses, after their fire fighting careers are over, would otherwise have been destined to rot away the rest of their lives in landfill.

The company gives 50 per cent of the profits from the fire-hose line to the Fire Fighters Charity.

As well as bags and belts, they also make iPhone cases, key rings, and cufflinks. They have an ‘At Home’ range, which includes candlestick holders which are made from decommissioned fire-hose couplings. The couplings, which are made from robust aluminium, are will last and last, and come with two fire-hose coasters to rest them on.

Fire hoses are one of the many and varied products that are sold by the lovely people at Fire Protection Online, and as usual they offer tip top discounts so that you can get heavy duty equipment without the heavy duty price tag – hurrah!

The type 2 layflat fire hose comes in 60 or 75 feet lengths, and meets British Standards. It is resistant to scuffing and wear because it has a tough polyurethane coating, so when it is in use on concrete or rough surfaces (as these things often are) there is a layer of protection. All the couplings are UK Fire Service standard, so the equipment will be compatible with the hoses that the fire brigade use.

In an emergency situation, you might need access to water from a fire hydrant – and you’ll need to be able to get at it pretty sharpish. The underground valves can be nestling beneath accumulated muddy water, and as time is of the essence in an emergency it is crucial that you can access the hydrant quickly. Using something like a hydrant key and bar means that the hard work is done for you, and the key and bar system will fit the standard BS750 2 ½” BSRT male valves (and yes, that is a giant mouthful, and no, I’m not entirely sure what it means. I just know that it is a good thing. Trust me on this.)

So, for all your fire hose needs, you now know where to come. You also know that there is somewhere that will recycle all this equipment into fun and funky accessories once it has fulfilled its use. Pretty darn groovy I think.

Burning issues in Brussels: the EU building before the fire

Oh, the irony. On Saturday, a blaze broke out at the national Fire Service College at Moreton-in-Marsh, destroying eleven fire engines used at the college for fire training. Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service scrambled 58 firefighters to attend the college fire, assisted by crews from Oxfordshire and Warwickshire. A workshop housing the engines plus diesel and hydraulic oil was badly damaged by the fire, but the college said that despite the incident, it was “business as usual”.

By Monday, replacement engines had been provided by fire services across the country, so that training could resume without interruption. The Fire Service College provides specialist courses for emergency personnel from the UK and abroad, and up to 600 students can be studying at any one time.

In a separate incident, fire broke out in the basement of the European Commission in Brussels on Monday, forcing the evacuation of 3000 EU officials on 18 floors. It appears the fire broke out near the press room, where journalists were working. However, no alarm sounded within 20 minutes after smoke was first spotted, when a verbal command to evacuate was given.

Which only goes to prove, even if your job is to train people to put out fires, or draft the regulations for fire safety, you can never get complacent on fire safety in your own workplace! So, if your business premises fire risk assessment shows more provision required, or you are replacing old equipment, we’ve got some great bulk discounts on fire safety equipment to tempt you here at Fire Protection Online!

For example, kit out your company car fleet with our neat and nifty 600gram car fire extinguishers, and save 30% on orders of 100 or more. That’s 30% EXTRA on top of our normal 40% saving on the RRP – we’re practically giving these fire extinguishers away! Or make sure every staff kitchen has a fire blanket for under £5 + VAT each, if you order 400 or more.

photo by TPCOM at flickr.com

Dorset Fire and Rescue Service were proudly showing off their latest vehicle this week, a 4×4 all terrain fire engine. The Unimog can carry 5,000 litres of water, protect itself from fire with a  curtain of water, and even pump out flooded areas if required.

The main reason the brigade has invested in the new fire tender is to tackle heathland and grassland fires. Darran Gunter, from Dorset Fire and Rescue Service, explained that this new engine would enable the service to get to these difficult to reach fire situations; “The Unimog has the capabilities of carrying firefighters, of going basically anywhere in any conditions, and for example it can go into up to one metre of water.”  The Unimog will also be at the heart of fire protection facilities for the 2012 Olympics sailing events.

Now, not all of us can afford £200,000 for a new fire truck, even one made by Mercedes-Benz, and certainly we don’t sell Unimogs on our web site (yet). However, Dorset’s investment shows a clever appreciation of the particular fire safety needs of the area , both now and in the future.

And that’s exactly what your own business fire risk assessment should take into account – your unique fire safety requirements both now, next week and when this recession has become as distant a memory as an “X Factor” runner-up. The process of researching and creating your fire risk assessment is crucial, but once it’s written, a copy also needs to be safely stored along with other fire documents. Which is where Fire Protection Online CAN help!

Our Fire Document Cabinet is a tough, durable metal cabinet, which will accommodate an A4 ring binder with ease. Lock it to keep curious fingers out,  or seal it with a tamper-evident seal, and keep the key accessible for if the fire authorities need to see it in a hurry. For smaller premises, our neat, wipe-clean Fire Document Holder is highly visible for when a visiting Fire Officer demands to see your fire log book  just as you’re sitting down to a nice cup of tea and a well-deserved Hobnob. Our smart Fire Log Book helps you keep a record of all your fire safety procedures, inspections and maintenance.

photo: Dorset Echo

After writing last week’s blog, I popped down to see the lady whose garage had been burnt after their neighbour’s shed caught fire.

It’s only when you stand in a building gutted by fire that you realise just how devastating it can be. What struck me most was the fact that most of her household appliances were not ruined by being burnt, but because their plastic parts had simply melted away. Take the washing machine, for example. Inside the clothes were singed at their edges, but the front panel and the ‘glass’ door had completely melted away. The back of the freezer seemed untouched, but the front plastic controls were long gone. Even her partner’s beloved motorbike, blackened as it was, looked intact – except for the plastic parts.

On the side of the house itself, the sorry tale of plastic meltdown continued. Plastic gutting hung down the wall like candle wax, and the double-glazed windows in their plastic frames had warped in the heat.

Now, of course, they have the unenviable job of cleaning up the mess. The insurance company sent a fabulous team of cleaners who scrubbed the house from top to bottom just a day or two later. (A great service which not only helps with reducing damage but also gives a moral boost at a depressing time, no doubt.) But they have several mounds of burnt boxes, blackened machinery and charred timbers to dispose of, and an awful lot of melted plastic to scrape off their garage floor….

If your garage went up in smoke, how would you be prepared? FPO fire expert Jason,has three top tips that would give you early warning at least…

1. Invest in a heat alarm for the garage, which is unaffected by car exhaust fumes or dust. Also ensure you can hear it OK!
2. Make sure all your household smoke alarms are working properly, and you have enough to detect smoke that might enter the house from adjoining buildings.
3. Know where your mobile phone is at all times; if your electricity supply is disrupted by fire, a normal cordless phone won’t work as you exit the house.

As always, our advise in the event of a house fire is to get out, stay out and call 999.

(Thanks to P and family for allowing me to photograph the aftermath of the fire.)

The best view of a fire engine, perhaps – leaving after a job well done…

It finally happened. We had a fire just down the close off my quiet suburban road – and I missed it! A garden shed caught fire, setting light to stored wood and in turn igniting a neighbour’s garage. The neighbour’s kids, at home for the holidays, acted sensibly, evacuated the house and stayed outside. The shed owner joined them on the street and rang the Fire Brigade, so the fire engines were on the scene pronto.

What an afternoon! Smoke, flames, two fire engines, Hampshire’s finest (and it turns out, hunkiest) firemen armed with assorted fire hoses – and I missed the lot!

Worst of all, I was in my house at the time. Since I usually work from home, I’m on daily waving terms with every dog walker in the street, I know everyone’s car, and can spot an Ikea delivery lorry at 30 paces, even while typing. So how on earth could I have missed two engines, sirens blazing, turning the corner right outside my house? By the time I noticed (only because someone had parked a car across my gate and I needed to get out), the excitement was over and the firemen were going home.

I think the answer is what I call “London cry wolf” syndrome. I lived within the M25 for almost 20 years, and over that time I learned to lock out the almost continual background noise of car alarms, police sirens, “warning vehicle reversing”, squealing taxi brakes, etc. Even after 15 months in suburban Hampshire, I still lock out the noise of nearby mainline trains and jets overhead coming in to the airfield, helped by our remarkably efficient double glazing.

And perhaps here’s the actual lesson of my missing the “Most Exciting Day on the Close Since Someone Lost Their Car Keys”. A combination of effective sound proofing and, I guess, conditioned indifference to sirens meant that, if it had been my garage going up in flames, the first I might have known about it would be the firemen knocking on the door.

So, guess where I’m fitting smoke alarms next? Actually, technically speaking, they won’t be smoke alarms, as they can be triggered by dust and fumes, but heat alarms. Heat alarms operate when the temperature rises above 57 degrees C (135 degrees F), so the alarm would sound if my garage was being lightly toasted by a fire next door. Fire Protection Online sell a longlife 10 year heat alarm by Kidde which is ideal. My job is to test it as soon as it is fitted, and learn what is sounds like, so if (or when) it goes off, I don’t sit back and simply ignore it!

I’m off now to ask the unfortunate garage owner if they need a hand clearing up the mess, and get the lowdown on just how lovely those firemen were…

Just a quick note for all of those who remember family outings to Skegness  - did you see the news report concerning the Square Peg Pub, on the Grande Parade earlier this week – quite a large fire broke out in the Square Peg pub, spreading to a nightclub and resulting in 13 people being evacuated due to the severity of the fire.

According to the BBC website the fire was a major blaze (not unlike the blaze the grande parade suffered last year) with about 60-70 firemen in attendance to help battle the flames.

What a shame that this lovely seaside town has suffered another blemish. The stories that are connected to Skegness or “Skeggie” as it has been affectionately abbreviated to, are often of fish and chips, bracing donkey rides, walk along the promenade and a cheeky half pint in a warm pub.

Lets hope that Skegness recovers quickly from this and that many more halcyon memories are made.

 (Photograph – Russell Matthews)

In East Lothian on Monday, the answer was eight…

Fudgie the hamster escaped from her cage when being looked after by a friend whilst her owners were on holiday. Hamster-minder Angela Appleby woke up on Monday morning to discover that her friend’s furry pet had escaped, probably squeezing behind the units in the kitchen.

She remarked on the problem at work to her manager, whose fiancé is in the fire service, and before you could say “Spin my wheel and pass the sunflower seeds”, two fire engines arrived outside her home to retrieve the rodent.

After taking the family gas cooker and pipes apart trying to find the hamster, the crews from the Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue tried to tempt out Fudgie with a chocolate-covered camera placed under the floorboards. When that didn’t success, they then tried to suck the hamster out using a vacuum cleaner covered with a sock. When suction power didn’t succeed either, the fire crews finally handed the case over to the Scottish SPCA.

Fudgie is still at large.
While Fire Protection Online does not sell a Hamster Retrieval Kit, we does sell some other neat kit that might have been useful in the search for Fudgie, such as our powerful FlareSafe torch, and a shiny new plastic fire bucket to transport her safely back to her cage!

photo by Steve_C at Flickr.com

It’s easy to forget sometimes that it’s not just fire that can damage your house, but smoke too.

A year or so back, a friend of mine who works from home had just heated some soup for lunch on the stove, when his next client turned up a little early. He was convinced he’d turned the gas off, yet within five minutes, the client and he had evacuated outside onto the front drive, dialling 999 and watching smoke gently billowing under the kitchen door and into his hallway.

Luckily, the fire brigade arrived promptly and extinguished the flames, and the actual fire damage was limited to the kitchen cabinets nearest the stove. However, a few charred cabinets were only the beginning of the story, as he soon discovered when he was allowed back into the house only an hour or so later.

The damage in the kitchen, and the need to have all the electrics and appliances tested, he expected to see. The mess caused by water, foam and smoke in the kitchen, he also expected to find, and indeed this was cleaned up within hours by a professional team sent by the insurers.

However, nearly everything on the ground floor smelt of smoke. Two leather jackets hanging in the hallway were so impregnated that even professional cleaning would not get rid of the smell. Every curtain, every carpet, every sofa and chair had to be steam cleaned. Even his books and papers, safely out of harm’s way in the front room, had a whiff of burning kitchen cabinet about them!

Needless to say, my soup-supping pal has now installed fire safety devices to help him know about any fires in his (new) kitchen, before he notices the smoke.

1. a fire blanket and small extinguisher mounted on the kitchen wall

2. a mains heat detector in his kitchen

3. a 10 year battery smoke alarm in his downstairs hallway outside his office doorway (and not near the kitchen door), just in case!

And yes, his wife did ban him from eating soup at lunchtime ever again….

photo by techne at flickr.com

Just days after two Devon men were sentenced in court for possession of cannabis, discovered after their house caught fire, another home-based ‘cannabis factory’ has gone up in smoke.

Firemen were called to a roof fire in an inconspicuous terraced home in Normanton at 3am in the morning, to discover the roof ablaze. Once the fire services had dowsed the flames, police removed 300 cannabis plants from the roof space, where the fire is believed to have broken out.

Hot Lamps and Bad Wiring

Illegal cannabis propagation often involves the use of hot lamps, reflective materials and illegal electrical cabling, all adding up to one major fire hazard. Combine this with the often inadequate protection most homeowners have for fire detection in their roof spaces, and roof fires can often smolder for some time before being spotted.

The Devon men had grown just 34 plants in their loft, and claimed in court that this crop was for their own personal use, not for dealing. The Derby growing operation was clearly on quite a different scale.

Narrow Streets and Fire Engines

However, the Derby house fire highlighted another major concern for owners of houses in old, narrow streets. Due to the numbers of parked cars lining the street, the fire brigade struggled to reach the house with an engine when called, a delay which no doubt contributed to the damage caused not only to the house in question, but the one next door as well.

Luckily, fire detection in loft spaces is easy, thanks to the new generation of heat alarms. Normal optical or photoelectric smoke alarms would go off just from the amount of dust which collects in the average loft. However, a heat alarm only sounds when the temperature in your roof rises above 57 degrees C (135 degrees F). Most UK new-built homes built since 2001 already have a heat alarm fitted in the kitchen.

A heat alarm gives you plenty of notice of any fire in your roof, allowing you and your family to make your escape and call the fire brigade as soon as possible. Fire Protection Online sell the reliable Kidde 323/9hi mains operated heat alarm with battery backup, at a 30% discount.

Kirsty

photo by Oneras at flickr.com