EC office blaze

THE EUROPEAN Commission’s (EC) headquarters in Brussels was evacuated on 18 May as fire and smoke spread from the basement to the 13th floor. It is thought that the blaze started at about 1pm in the basement ‘press room’ of the Berlaymont building, an 18-floor office development that houses some 3,000 EC officials. No one was hurt, but reports said fire and smoke spread through a ventilation duct to upper floors. The building was closed for a time and an investigation is under way, amid reports from some journalists working in the offices that the fire alarm system failed to activate.

New UK statistics

SIGNIFICANT reductions in the number of primary fires are set out in the latest UK fire statistics, which cover the 12-month period up to 30 June 2008. According to the Fire Statistics Monitor, primary fires fell by 11% to 137,000. This included a 6% drop in the number of dwelling fires – now at their lowest since 1977; a 10% decrease in fires in workplaces and other buildings; and a 15% drop in road vehicle fires. However, the figures also show a 5% increase in the total number of UK fire deaths, in contrast to the long-term downward trend.

The statistics are available from: www.communities.gov.uk/fire

Rail regulations

EXISTING regulations covering fire safety in subsurface and underground railway stations in England have been revamped and new guidance issued to support them. The new Fire Precautions (Sub-surface Railway Stations) (England) Regulations 2009 retain the key safety provisions of the previous 1989 regulations, but have been modernised and simplified, while the accompanying guidance makes the requirements easier to understand and enforce. The regulations will come into force fully on 1 October 2009 after a six-month transition period.

The regulations are available from: www.communities.gov.uk/fire  

New York drill

MORE THAN 800 emergency response personnel in New York City took part in a training exercise in early May which involved a simulated terrorist attack on a commuter train. In the drill, two ‘bombs’ went off on a train in a tunnel between Manhattan and New Jersey. Some 700 passengers were evacuated through smoke-filled tunnels, while fire crews used lightweight aluminum carts that fit onto train tracks to move the most severely injured. The purpose of the drill was to improve cooperation between fire, police, health and transport agencies in the event of a real disaster.

Strike plans

FIRE SERVICES in the UK do not have effective plans to deal with any potential future local or national strike action by firefighters, the Fire Officers’ Association has warned. Although fire authorities must produce contingency plans that cater for large-scale staff shortages caused by strikes or other events, the Association says that many have failed to properly address this issue. Due to action in Afghanistan and Iraq, military personnel would not be available to provide back-up in the event of a dispute, and ‘some authorities are relying upon ill-conceived proposals such as recruiting a reserve force of retired firefighters’, says chief executive Glyn Morgan.

Castle blaze

UNSAFE HOT work is thought to have caused a major fire at Arenberg Castle, a 14th-century chateau in the Austrian city of Salzburg. More than 100 firefighters attended the incident in late April after the blaze was accidentally started by workers carrying out welding operations on the roof, said reports. Two of the workmen were treated for smoke inhalation after they tried unsuccessfully to put out the fire in its early stages. The roof of the historic palace was severely damaged, although staff managed to remove valuable works of art from the building.

Construction decline

NEW FIRE engineering design projects are sure to be affected by the general decline in construction projects as a result of the recession. Providing a picture of the UK construction market, the Glenigan Index published in April shows a 30% drop in the number of new project starts, compared to a year ago. It also reveals a sharp fall in non-residential private sector projects, particularly in the industrial, office and retail sectors, with developers shelving planned schemes due to weak demand and restricted access to finance. Construction activity is expected to remain subdued until 2011, it forecasts.

Fireworks blast

AT LEAST 13 people died and two others were hurt in an explosion at an unlicensed fireworks factory, operated from a house, in China’s Shandong province on 2 May. The blast in the village of Yangzhuangzi destroyed the three-room rented house and broke windows and cracked walls in other dwellings, the Chinese government news agency reported. Some residents mistook the explosion for an earthquake. Rescue workers used bulldozers to pull the debris apart, searching for victims and survivors trapped under the rubble. Police are investigating the incident.

Criminal damage

A DVD and teaching package produced by fire, police and council authorities in South Gloucestershire is being shared with community partnerships across England. Targeted at 11-15 year olds, Damage Done… it doesn’t just happen highlights the unseen damaging effects of vandalism, deliberate fire-setting and antisocial behaviour by young people, getting them to think about the consequences of their actions and attitudes. It has been made available to schools in the area and is being promoted to community safety partnerships nationwide.

For more information on the package, contact Sarah Rea on e-mail: sarahr@icecreates.com