Fire Safety News
From Fire Protection Online – Where fire safety costs less

In this 30th June 2009 issue:

- Feature: Fires, Safes and Water – and a discount
- Assess, Train and Save an extra 50%
- Clock Our Blog

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

Fires, Safes and Water
By Jason Miller

Here’s a little quiz for you for a Tuesday morning…

If you have a fire at your premises in or near the area where you store documents, which do you think would cause the most damage to your precious paperwork?
a) fire?
b) smoke?
c) water?

Statistically-speaking, it’ll probably be c) water, as chances are, the fire brigade or your sprinkler system will use lots and lots of it to put out your fire.

Which leaves you, post-fire, with a very soggy office and paperwork that’s good for papier mache and little else.

Never fear, there is an answer – a waterproof fire safe.

Here at Fire Protection Online, we’ve just received our first consignment of Honeywell fire safes, and we are thrilled with the quality and build of these robust digital safes. Whether you want to secure your vital papers, your backed-up data on removable media, or your company laptops, we now have a Honeywell safe or a security box to suit the job, all with our usual generous discount prices.

Top of our range is the Honeywell 2096D waterproof fire safe, a sleek grey cabinet that is both discreet and secure. The cabinet is fireproof for a whole hour and waterproof for an impressive eight hours, so even if your premises are flooded with water, your valuable files, media or other items remain secure and dry. In addition to their five-year guarantee, Honeywell also offer a lifetime “replacement after fire” guarantee, so you really can’t lose!

For businesses that rely on onsite media backups, the Honeywell 2040 media fire box is a great investment – we use it ourselves here at Fire Protection Online head office to protect our back-up tapes and highly sensitive data. Designed to take a range of media including optical drives, DVD, disks, CDs, memory sticks, DAT tapes, etc, the Honeywell 2040 media fire box offers one hour fire protection, and eight hour flood protection. Our office 2040 media fire box is also on wheels, enabling us to move it about if required, without involving damaged backs or industrial-grade lifting gear as with old-fashioned safes!

At Fire Protection Online, we like these Honeywell safes so much that we’re offering you an EXTRA 10% off our already low prices for the entire range of Honeywell fully waterproof digital fire safes and fire boxes. (As far as we are aware, only Honeywell has a *full* range of this type of safe)

You don’t need to do anything to get the extra 10% as it has already been taken off the price. Remember, that’s an EXTRA 10% off our low prices, which means you can save a massive 38% off the 2040 media fire box, for example. But, an offer this good can’t last forever and expires in just 7 days time, so make sure you put your order in today.

I’m also a great fan of the Honeywell 3040D laptop safe, designed to secure a 17″ laptop in a car, any situation where the sturdy cable can be fixed to a metal anchoring point. Like all the Honeywell D series safes, this secure metal box locks with a digital keypad, while the double steel wall keeps you laptop secure from knocks and bumps. After recent data security lapses, these laptop should be standard Government issue, we reckon…

Check out the whole range of Honeywell Safes and Media Fire Boxes

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

Assess, Train and Save 50%
By Fiona Morgan

As a business owner, you are required by law to complete regular fire risk assessments, fire training, and manage any asbestos in your premises. If you had printed books on all these procedures, you’d soon run out of bookshelf space, so save space, time and money with our new 3 in 1 Business Protector

Just pop the CD-ROM into your PC, and the software guides you through the whole process.

The risk assessment section shows you how to manage your fire risk assessment process, and allows you to create and print fire management plans, policies, procedures and even fire log books.

The fire safety training CD-ROM guides you and your staff through seven comprehensive fire training modules. This CD-ROM comes with a 99-person staff user licence, and is suitable for use by disabled staff members, so you can ensure every member of your team is trained at reduced cost.

Finally, the managing asbestos CD-ROM allows you to print off important safety documents regarding any presence of asbestos in your working environment.

Combining fire training videos and innovative software with tests and certificates, plus templates and guides to complete your fire risk assessment, this CD-ROM package has everything you need to comply with Fire Regulations (aka, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005).

And best of all, for one week only, it’s yours at 50% of our normal price. (Actually, we’ve already taken 55% off the retail cost, so we’re giving you a further 50% reduction!) That reduces the cost to £28.00 + vat

3 in 1 Business Protector and Workplace training CDs

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

Clock Our Blog!
By Fiona Morgan

Want to know the inside story behind the headlines? Our blog writer Kirsty Young scours the news for fire stories that inform, entertain and enlighten, from major fire events such as the Leominster print works, to how small domestic fires can have a big impact.

She’s also got an eye for the quirky, from the dangers of tumble dryers to the case of the disappearing hamster… No sign-up required – just read and enjoy!

http://www.fireprotectiononline.co.uk/blog/

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

That’s it for this week; I’m on barbecue duty at a party this weekend, and it looks like it’s going to be a scorcher. That’s the weather, not my cooking, I might hasten to add.

Remember to grab your e-newsletter special discounts before they expire on 8th July:

- go to Honeywell Safes to get the 10% off. Move fast – this offer end in 7 days

- For a ridiculously generous 50% off our 3 in 1 Business Protector CD-ROM, go to

This amazing deal ends in just 7 days, so order your CD-ROMs pronto!

Have a good week and thanks for reading.

Regards

Jason Miller

Now I know there is nothing worse than a sore loser, but lets be honest a sore winner isnt too much fun either. So bearing this in mind, it is with dignity and humble reserve I would like to announce that our website recently won Kents best website award, as hosted by IceLab

Yes thats right Fire Protection Online won an award for Kents best website and I very luckily got to go and collect the award with a fellow colleague Martina – seen here accepting the award and certificate – and we got to meet other online businesses based in Kent, it was interesting to see the variety and of online stores originating in my neck of the woods!

I know Jason is just as chuffed as I am that people, who aren’t necessarily our customers, realised how special the company and website is and how hard we work to make it customer friendly.

However, despite all this trumpet blowing I would like to say a massive big, heart felt thank you to all of you guys and gals who voted for us.

We were able to see some of the public votes and their comments and honestly hand on heart reading customers comments, who went and willingly did this in their own time is just a great feeling. So thank you, for choosing us as your favourite website and for taking the time to vote, really you made the difference.

So now the pressure is on all of us here at FireProtectionOnline to ensure we win next year too and to offer all of you the best possible website and service.

My nose is now firmly to the grind stone – happy shopping.

In this 24th September 2008 issue:

- Feature: The Genuine Article?
- Where there’s soap there’s fire
- Do you Facebook or Twitter?

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

Feature: The Genuine Article? – By Jason Miller

What a wonderful money and time saver the Internet can be. But, nothing in life is simple so let me explain a little of how all this shopping online malarchy works for fire safety equipment and how to avoid being stung!

Here at Fire Protection Online, like a few other online companies (but not all), we sell genuine, original equipment bought direct from the manufacturers. But, if you search around the internet, you will find other products that look similar, have similar approvals, similar guarantees and at lower prices.

So what should you think? What’s the difference?

If you asked us why a certain product costs less from another supplier, would you really believe what we told you? After all, it’s in our interests to convince you that we are better.

I think it’s better to get the information direct from the other supplier company so here’s a list of stuff to consider when you pick up the phone:

1. Phone them up – is it answered by a human and by a human using a landline and do they sound like they know what they are talking about?

Fire Protection Online has a Freephone number and it doesn’t cost us much so why doesn’t everyone have one? It is answered by humans from 8am until 8pm and on Saturdays, and on Sundays, and on Bank Holidays (even Christmas Day – try it on December 25th if you don’t believe us but don’t tell Grandma)

Isn’t that better than an answer phone?

2. Does the web site say who the manufacturer is or where they are made?

I just looked up the first 10 online shops that sell fire extinguishers direct from their web sites and only three (including us) mention who makes the extinguishers. That is not good!

This is a biggie as it means Chinese, Middle East or South African imports. They may have “approvals” and “guarantees” but the quality is poor.

You may ask the question – why don’t the top companies sell the cheaper products? The answer – because we all know how long they will last and how often they will fail to operate

But what about the guarantees? Yeah, right! Most of these firms have not been in business as long as their guarantees last! And, will they be around when these products start to go rusty after a couple of years?

3. Do they have an address that is easy to find on their web site?

If not, why are they so shy?

4. Do they have written delivery details on their web site?

These should include the price of deliveries to every corner of the United Kingdom, when the order cut-off time is (in other words, will your order go out today), when orders are sent out (next day delivery is not the same if the goods get sent out 2 or 3 days after the order), how long they take to arrive

5. Does the web site have an independent third-party web approval?

If it does, it will be shown on the home page. Top examples include McAfee/HackerSafe, Internet Shopping Is Safe (ISIS) and SafeBuy. Please click on these symbols to check that they are genuinely approved – you’ll be surprised how many have “expired”

If the site does not have one of these, ask why

6. Do they send out the same items shown in the web site images?

This happens a lot. There are quite a few web sites that actually send out totally different (cheap imports) extinguishers from the images shown on the site

7. Do they have real feedback from real customers?

Look for testimonials or ratings and check that they are genuine (do they have real people’s names and contact details?)

8. Is payment only by Paypal or Google Checkout?

Not being able to accept credit cards on their web site would suggest that they cannot get credit card approved, have recently gone bankrupt and restarted, or that their site is not secure

9. Does the web site look good?

In other words, is the information clear, is it easy to navigate, are the prices shown with and without VAT, are guarantees explained fully and in clear English, are the pictures good and can you see big versions? Do you feel confident that this is a professional company and that you’ll get a genuine product?

10. Does the payment page have the tiny padlock symbol appear at the top of your screen?

This is the sign of a secured site. A little padlock symbol appears in your “browser”, usually next to the web site address box. If it does not or if any form of warning sign appears, the site may be unsecure and your information may be open to hackers – not good news!
And this advice is not just for potential-life-saving fire extinguishers. It applies to all online purchases, whether that be a plasma TV or a Beanie Baby (do they still sell those?).

Personally, I buy everything online and have never had a bad experience. But I am careful and follow my own advice.

Please be safe, too.

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

Where There’s Soap There’s Fire – By Fiona Morgan

Real fires do happen and when Mr Selfe, a Fire Protection Online customer, saved his own house from fire, he was featured in his local newspaper.

Man Praised For Fire Fighting Dishwasher Fire
By Ginny Ware – South Devon Herald Express – 16th June 2008

The quick-thinking owner of a property in Marldon managed to put out a dishwasher fire in his kitchen before the emergency services arrived.

The man was alerted to the blaze by a smoke alarm in his house at Brockhurst Park at 10pm on Saturday.

He called the fire service and then tackled the flames with a dry powder fire extinguisher.

By the time two fire appliances for Paignton arrived, the fire was out.

Crews removed the dishwasher from the kitchen using small tools.

Watch commander Graham Derbyshire highlighted the importance of fire alarms and warned people not to leave their property while appliances such as dishwashers are in use.

He said: “When we got there we spoke to the owner and he said he heard a big bang and all the power went off… He had a dry powder fire extinguisher and he used it to knock back the flames himself, which he did very well…When he had done that he left the property and waited for us outside…We have had a few fires started in appliances like this overheating over the past couple of weeks and they can be quite serious…It is important people do not put them on and then leave the premises because the fire can spread very quickly…It is also important to fit smoke alarms, as this man had, as it will warn you if there is a fire.”
Since the fire, Mr Selfe has convinced many of his friends and family to buy a domestic fire extinguisher and smoke alarm from us, too.

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

Do You Facebook? – By Fiona Morgan

We like to keep up with the 21st century and so (to the sound of a fanfare) Fire Protection Online now has a Facebook page.

See what you think and join us as a fan at www.facebook.com

This joins our blog (we always post the newsletters here on the blog as well for those that miss it) and our Twitter page. Don’t worry if you’ve not heard of Twitter but it is huge so sign up for free and follow us – but I warn you, it’s addictive!

That’s all for now. Have a good one and thanks for reading.

Regards

Jason Miller

In this 21st August 2008 issue:

- How to save money on extinguisher maintenance
- From the blog
- Are you a charity? Can we help you?

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

Feature: How to save money on extinguisher maintenance –
By Jason Miller

The business world is split into two camps.

a. Those who have had a surprisingly high fire extinguisher maintenance invoice

b. Those who will eventually have a surprisingly high fire extinguisher maintenance invoice

Now, don’t get me wrong. All extinguishers should be serviced annually and properly by a fully trained technician. He or she really ought to be BAFE Registered and working for a BAFE Registered firm.

These days, extinguishers tend to be the stored pressure variety with a gauge but don’t be fooled into thinking that a technician only looks at the gauge, weighs it, dusts it off and signs the label.

He is trained to spot the tiny imperfections that could stop the extinguisher working. And you wouldn’t want that to happen, would you?

He can also spot the little problems that could make it dangerous to use. And you wouldn’t want that either!

But, quite often, according to those that telephone us every single day, this maintenance is expensive with total invoices sometimes costing more than it would have cost to replace everything with us. And that’s a shame because most fully qualified servicing companies are excellent.

So, we put together a simple guide to help you save money on your annual servicing costs and to help separate the good technicians from the cowboys.

Read it here at:

How to save money on extinguisher maintenance

If you have any comments or experiences on this subject (good or bad), please tell us about it by replying to this email or via this page at:

Contact us 

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~ 

From the blog –
By Fiona Morgan

Due to popular demand, we have relaunched our blog and will be adding all current news from us and the world of fire safety as it happens. Some recent posts have been well received so, if you’ve not seen these, have a look at:

Google Checkout – The great customer query

So many customers ask the difference between the various online payment and checkout methods that I decided to explain it all. Read all about it here at:

Google Checkout

Finally the Monnex Fire Extinguishers are back in town! Hurrah!!

Forever popular due to their hyper power where it comes to flammable liquid fires, Monnex extinguishers went out of stock because our lovely supplier ran out! But, at last, they are on the shelf again. Read all about them at:

Monnex extinguishers

Where There’s Fire, There’s Smoke

This made us chuckle when we saw it on the news. Another cannabis factory has gone up in smoke. Read more here at:

Where there’s fire…

[Ed. note: Kirsty Young also writes many of our great blog entries] 

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~ 

If you are a charity we may be able to help –
By Fiona Morgan

We like charities. Don’t we all? After all, we know how hard it is to find the time to help others more needy than ourselves.

So, where possible we will supply fire protection goods to charities and good causes.

Obviously, it is not possible to help everyone who asks but each request is reviewed very quickly and you will always get an answer.

If you have a requirement or you know of a charity that has a requirement, please get in touch by replying to this email or via the contact form on our website at:

Contact us 

That’s all for this August issue so thanks for your time

Regards

Jason Miller

www.FireProtectionOnline.co.uk