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Hotel safety
RECENT HOTEL fires in Lincolnshire, Cornwall and now Lancashire – of which the latter two resulted in fatalities – has called into question the fire safety provisions of UK hotels. The latest fire, at the Manor Hotel in Blackpool on 17 September, saw 100 firefighters tackling the blaze amid fears of the building’s imminent collapse. Reports said the fire engulfed the hotel within ten minutes and spread to adjoining buildings. According to a BBC investigation, only one out of 14 randomly-selected three-star hotels had adequate fire safety provisions.
Carolina criticism
THE SOUTH Carolina Office of Occupational Safety and Health has cited the fire department of Carolina with one willful violation and three serious violations in its report into the fire of 18 June 2007, which claimed the lives of nine firefighters (see FP&FEJ, July 2007, p.3). The violations, for which the department was fined US$9,325 (£4,663) include not providing efficient safety for its firefighters; not having adequate procedures for fighting fires involving metal truss roofs; and not requiring body protection and breathing apparatus at all times.
A copy of the report is available by following the link: media.charleston.net/pdf/OSHAreport.pdf
Mill blaze
SHANNONS MILL in Walsall, West Midlands, has now been demolished after a major blaze on 4 August resulted in 60% of the building collapsing. The former tannery was undergoing major refurbishment and was empty at the time the fire broke out. It is believed that machine oils engrained into the wooden floors helped accelerate the rapid spread of the fire, which West Midlands Fire Service says is its largest incident in 25 years. The brigade believes the fire was started deliberately and the incident is now subject to a police investigation.
LNG guide
BP HAS produced a new guide on liquid natural gas. The guide, LNG Fire Protection and Emergency Response, is the 16th title from a range of books and is now considered an industry standard. Published by the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), the guide will be of particular interest to emergency responders, safety professionals, design/project engineers and facility operators.
To order a copy, visit website: www.icheme.org/shop or contact the IChemeE book sales team on tel: +44 (0)1788 578 214
Retail guidance
THE FIRE Protection Association has released a new publication, Fire Risk Management in Retail Premises. The publication is the first in a range of six new guidance documents which aim to bring fire safety managers up-to-date with their requirements under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order. Copies are £12 to FPA members (£15 to non-members)
To order a copy of Fire Risk Management in Retail Premises, contact e-mail: sales@thefpa.co.uk; or visit website: http://www.thefpa.co.uk/
IFSM conference
A WIDE RANGE of issues were discussed at the Institute of Fire Safety Managers (IFSM) annual conference in August. More than 60 delegates attended the event, held at South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue’s training centre in Sheffield. Presentations focused on: changes to the Firecode HTM 05 healthcare guidance; fire detection technology and its role in combating unwanted fire calls; micro-drop high-pressure water-mist systems; and the impact of the major floods affecting Yorkshire this summer. In addition, there was a fire service view of the new version of Approved Document B to the Building Regulations in England and Wales.
Fire Safety Week
‘CHECK YOUR smoke alarm’ is this year’s theme for Fire Safety Week. The event runs from 14-21 November 2007 and will see brigades throughout the UK organising a programme of events to address specific fire safety issues that affect their communities. Supported by the Fire Protection Association, the Week will raise awareness of the issue that over 50% of fire fatalities are due to ill-functioning smoke alarms. For more information on events and activities during Fire Safety Week, contact individual brigades.
Child safety
APPROXIMATELY 1,500 smoke alarms will be fitted in every child’s bedroom within the Tameside communities of Hattersley and Mottram in Greater Manchester. The initiative is part of a new fire safety scheme part-funded by the Hattersley Neighbourhood Partnership and welcomed by home safety campaigner, the Wake Up organisation. According to Wake Up, research undertaken in Australia shows that only 6% of children aged 6-15 awake on hearing a fire alarm in an adjoining room, and the scheme looks, in part, to address this issue.
For information on the Wake Up organisation, visit: www.wakeup-campaign.org/
Medical rescue
CREWS FROM Bedfordshire and Luton Fire and Rescue Service are now better equipped and trained in first-at-scene emergency medical treatments, following a specialist trauma care course. The brigade can now deal with a range of injuries they would encounter at various emergencies, including using defibrillators to aid a heart condition, resuscitation equipment to deliver oxygen, and neck braces and spine-boards for victims with possible spinal injuries. The brigade has also equipped its rescue vehicles with trauma bags to enable firefighters to quickly get life-saving equipment to a victim.
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