A Senior Fire Officer from North Wales F&RS is highlighting the life saving properties of sprinkler systems after three people escaped safely from a fire in a flat in Holyhead this morning (Monday May 3).
BAFSA: Sprinkler News
Wednesday, 5 May 2010
Wednesday, 28 April 2010
Friday, 23 April 2010
£119,000 pounds for fire safety law breaches
Supermarket giant Tesco has been fined £95,000 and ordered to pay over £24,000 in costs after pleading guilty to five breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO).
London Fire Brigade, prosecuting, said firefighters were called to a fire at Tesco’s Colney Hatch store in Barnet on 14 October 2007. When they arrived found the premises locked but managed to gain access after attracting the attention of an employee who was restocking shelves. There had been a fire in the staff kitchen but it had been put out by staff using extinguishers and a fire blanket. There was still a significant amount of smoke in the kitchen, the corridor and staff locker rooms and crews had to ask staff several times to evacuate the premises.
This incident made officers concerned about fire safety in the store, so on the following day they inspected the premises. A number of breaches of fire safety legislation were found, including a failure to review the store’s fire risk assessment, a failure to ensure escape routes were kept clear and inadequate fire separation due to doors being wedged open. An enforcement notice was subsequently served on 2 November 2007.
Tesco pleaded guilty to failing to keep emergency exits clear (£20,000 fine); failing to keep an emergency route clear (£20,000); two counts of fire doors being wedged open (£20,000 each) and storing flammable materials under an emergency stairwell (£15,000). Sentencing took place at Wood Green Crown Court on 20 April 2010.
London Fire Commissioner Ron Dobson said: “Fire safety is a key part of good business management and the general public should feel safe from fire when they are out shopping. London Fire Brigade will continue to take action when businesses, large or small, do not take their fire safety responsibilities seriously. Failure to comply with the law can, as this case has shown, result in a prosecution.”
A Tesco spokesperson told Info4fire.com: "We take safety matters in all of our stores extremely seriously. We would like to reassure customers that this was an isolated incident and all issues at this store have been resolved."
London Fire Brigade, prosecuting, said firefighters were called to a fire at Tesco’s Colney Hatch store in Barnet on 14 October 2007. When they arrived found the premises locked but managed to gain access after attracting the attention of an employee who was restocking shelves. There had been a fire in the staff kitchen but it had been put out by staff using extinguishers and a fire blanket. There was still a significant amount of smoke in the kitchen, the corridor and staff locker rooms and crews had to ask staff several times to evacuate the premises.
This incident made officers concerned about fire safety in the store, so on the following day they inspected the premises. A number of breaches of fire safety legislation were found, including a failure to review the store’s fire risk assessment, a failure to ensure escape routes were kept clear and inadequate fire separation due to doors being wedged open. An enforcement notice was subsequently served on 2 November 2007.
Tesco pleaded guilty to failing to keep emergency exits clear (£20,000 fine); failing to keep an emergency route clear (£20,000); two counts of fire doors being wedged open (£20,000 each) and storing flammable materials under an emergency stairwell (£15,000). Sentencing took place at Wood Green Crown Court on 20 April 2010.
London Fire Commissioner Ron Dobson said: “Fire safety is a key part of good business management and the general public should feel safe from fire when they are out shopping. London Fire Brigade will continue to take action when businesses, large or small, do not take their fire safety responsibilities seriously. Failure to comply with the law can, as this case has shown, result in a prosecution.”
A Tesco spokesperson told Info4fire.com: "We take safety matters in all of our stores extremely seriously. We would like to reassure customers that this was an isolated incident and all issues at this store have been resolved."
Thursday, 22 April 2010
Friday, 16 April 2010
school dormitory fire
Yet another file in a school dormitory and once again we are lucky that life was not lost – Let have Fire Sprinkler Fitted.
BBC News - Fire tackled at Dover's military boarding school
BBC News - Fire tackled at Dover's military boarding school
BBC News - Inquests opened into Southampton firemen deaths
It’s about time we have fire sprinkler fitted into all flats. This would save both the lives of firemen and the tenants how many people must die before we do this.
BBC News - Inquests opened into Southampton firemen deaths
BBC News - Inquests opened into Southampton firemen deaths
Wednesday, 17 February 2010
Aurora care home in Seville
Spanish media reports that seven people have died in a fire in the Aurora care home in Seville. The fire brigade was called just after midnight on the morning of 9th February. Investigators have established that it was caused by an electrical fault in a bed designed for the disabled. Four more of the 19 residents remain in hospital suffering from smoke inhalation.
Seville City Hall has declared three days of morning. According to news bulletins on Spanish television the home was new and met all the fire safety regulations. Sprinklers are not required in care homes in Spain but after this fire the evening news programmes discussed the benefits of sprinklers, with an interview of Emilio Rodriguez, owner of the sprinkler contractor Pacisa.
Seville City Hall has declared three days of morning. According to news bulletins on Spanish television the home was new and met all the fire safety regulations. Sprinklers are not required in care homes in Spain but after this fire the evening news programmes discussed the benefits of sprinklers, with an interview of Emilio Rodriguez, owner of the sprinkler contractor Pacisa.
Sprinkler Protected Car Stacker Fire Test
The British Automatic Fire Sprinkler Association (BAFSA) requested BRE Global carry out a test to investigate the effect of a sprinkler system on the growth and spread of a fire in and between cars in a car park stacking system. This request followed the Communities and Local Government (CLG) Sustainable Buildings Division research programme titled Fire Spread in Car Parks. BAFSA wished to carry out an additional test using the CLG Car Stacker Rig in order to demonstrate the effect that a sprinkler system would have on the fire.
The test was designed to replicate the test carried out under the CLG program of research, but with the addition of a sprinkler system, designed and installed by BAFSA.
It is BRE Global's understanding that the system was designed by the client to be as consistent as possible with the prescriptive guidance given in BS EN 12845, LPC Sprinkler Rules. However, sprinkler protection of real car stackers will require the installation of a sprinkler system on a number of levels depending on the height of the storage. It was therefore considered appropriate by BAFSA to trial a number of hydraulic designs and sprinkler heads prior to the fire test.
Ian Gough, BAFSA commented “Fire sprinklers have been successfully protecting lives and property, including car parks, for many years; however, hazards and risks can quickly change. It is important that the fire sprinkler industry recognises such changes and is confident that the sprinklers systems installed always provide effective and efficient protection. This work carried out by BRE Global provides valuable information for sprinkler contractors, specifiers and others with an interest in these new and innovative parking systems.”
See the full report at PDF Report
The test was designed to replicate the test carried out under the CLG program of research, but with the addition of a sprinkler system, designed and installed by BAFSA.
It is BRE Global's understanding that the system was designed by the client to be as consistent as possible with the prescriptive guidance given in BS EN 12845, LPC Sprinkler Rules. However, sprinkler protection of real car stackers will require the installation of a sprinkler system on a number of levels depending on the height of the storage. It was therefore considered appropriate by BAFSA to trial a number of hydraulic designs and sprinkler heads prior to the fire test.
Ian Gough, BAFSA commented “Fire sprinklers have been successfully protecting lives and property, including car parks, for many years; however, hazards and risks can quickly change. It is important that the fire sprinkler industry recognises such changes and is confident that the sprinklers systems installed always provide effective and efficient protection. This work carried out by BRE Global provides valuable information for sprinkler contractors, specifiers and others with an interest in these new and innovative parking systems.”
See the full report at PDF Report
Thursday, 11 February 2010
Female student has died in a fire
The Dutch media reports that a female student has died in a fire in a student house in Groningen, in the north of The Netherlands. The fire service was called at about 07:30 but it was not until midday that fire-fighters could enter the building, which was completely burnt out.
The 19 year old student and six other students were in the building. Two of the six students were taken to hospital. The student house in the Oude Ebbingestraat was a former shop and an historical building near the market square in the town centre.
The 19 year old student and six other students were in the building. Two of the six students were taken to hospital. The student house in the Oude Ebbingestraat was a former shop and an historical building near the market square in the town centre.
Wednesday, 10 February 2010
Sprinklers to Welsh Homes
The Welsh Assembly Members voted unanimously today voted in support of Ann Jones AM’s bid to make the installation of sprinkler systems mandatory in Wales’s new homes.
The Vale of Clwyd AM’s proposal has been described as historic by Chief Fire Officers across Wales and numerous organisations in the Fire Safety field including the National Fire Sprinkler Network.
Since introducing the Assembly’s first ever backbench Legislative Competence Order (LCO), Ann Jones has won the full support of amongst others, the Welsh Assembly Government, Wales’ 3 Fire Services and the FBU.
With overwhelming supportive evidence from the expert and industry community, Mrs Jones’s LCO successfully received approval from cross party Committees in both Wales and Westminster.
Read more at www.bafsa.org.uk
The Vale of Clwyd AM’s proposal has been described as historic by Chief Fire Officers across Wales and numerous organisations in the Fire Safety field including the National Fire Sprinkler Network.
Since introducing the Assembly’s first ever backbench Legislative Competence Order (LCO), Ann Jones has won the full support of amongst others, the Welsh Assembly Government, Wales’ 3 Fire Services and the FBU.
With overwhelming supportive evidence from the expert and industry community, Mrs Jones’s LCO successfully received approval from cross party Committees in both Wales and Westminster.
Read more at www.bafsa.org.uk
Friday, 5 February 2010
Restaurant Fire in Star City, Birmingham
West Midlands Fire & Rescue Service reports that just after 22:00 on Monday, 18th January the fire service was called to a fire in a restaurant in the Star City entertainment complex in Birmingham.
The fire started in the cavity of a partition wall at the rear of a cooking griddle. Investigators believe that over time an accumulation of cooking oils had entered the cavity and eventually ignited. The partition wall did not extend to full ceiling height and so the fire discharged into the void above the false ceiling.
Two sprinkler heads, one on each side of the partition wall, activated during the fire and contained the damaged area to the inside of the wall cavity. The restaurant was able to reopen on 22nd January while the rest of the complex reopened as normal the following day.
The fire started in the cavity of a partition wall at the rear of a cooking griddle. Investigators believe that over time an accumulation of cooking oils had entered the cavity and eventually ignited. The partition wall did not extend to full ceiling height and so the fire discharged into the void above the false ceiling.
Two sprinkler heads, one on each side of the partition wall, activated during the fire and contained the damaged area to the inside of the wall cavity. The restaurant was able to reopen on 22nd January while the rest of the complex reopened as normal the following day.
Wednesday, 27 January 2010
Fire in Dutch Detention Centre
It has been repoted by the Dutch press that a 32-year-old man in a detention centre for illegal immigrants set fire to his cell. The detention centre was fitted with sprinklers and two sprinkler operated and extinguished the fire. 44 prisoners and staff were evacuated and 16 people were treated at the scene for the effects of minor smoke inhalation. Nobody was seriously injured and the damage was limited.
Tuesday, 5 January 2010
Fire in Dutch Supermarket
In the Netherlands a report that a fire in a supermarket in Dordrecht on 1st January could have been much worse but for the sprinkler installed in the fireworks store, which prevented the fireworks from exploding the rest of the supermarket (which was unsrinklered) was badly damaged.
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