It will surprise nobody that the FIA and Williams Grand Prix Engineering will be undertaking a full investigation as to what happened when a fire started within the F1 team’s pit garage.  Although injuries were sustained, none were serious – but watching the footage on TV served to highlight that even the most dynamic and professional of sport’s looked ill prepared to deal with such an eventuality.

As professionals within the fire industry, we often see situations where businesses haven’t thought out their fire prevention strategy carefully – but there are many businesses like ours who are here to help, offer advice and give guidance on how best to prepare ‘for the worst eventuality’.

The footage also showed how little equipment awareness there was from the technicians and team workers who bravely went to assist.  Many were using CO2 based fire extinguishers incorrectly – holding the equipment wrongly, risking severe skin burns from the incredibly cold temperatures generated by using such extinguishers when held incorrectly.

Hopefully, the events being highlighted on TV in such a way will serve as a reminder to many how complacency is the worst enemy of fire.  The fact that the team were celebrating a richly deserved victory at the time further compounds the fact that fire can strike at any time.  It was purely by fortune that the injuries were not more severe.

The very least that we recommend to all businesses in terms of training is to ensure that your employees know what to do and how to use the equipment properly in the event of a fire situation.  If the world’s most high technology sporting series can look ill-equipped to deal with a fire situation – something highly possible given the amount of fuel and ignition sources readily available – then the least you can do is look at your own business to ensure that you are prepared for the worst.

For just a matter of a few hundred pounds upwards it’s possible to have a CO2 based fire suppression system installed (including retrospectively) within your server cabinet or server room.  We’ve been doing some work in this area recently and we’re seeing more enquiries geared around this type of ‘problem area’.

The systems themselves are simple to set up yet highly effective.  Systems can be configured in a number of ways, from temperature and heat sensors through to a burstable cable system – where a sustained heat point on the cable (i.e. the source of the fire) will then ‘burst’ the cable at this point, so the CO2 is emitted at precisely this point extinguishing the fire completely.

Suppression systems for IT are designed primarily to stop the fire spreading from outside of the cabinet or server room, to minimise the spread of fire throughout the building.  It isn’t always practical for businesses to have a fully air conditioned room for their server cabinets – so having a fire suppression system built into the building infrastructure within the server room helps minimise the risk when a fire situation occurs.

With servers often being in isolation within a distant dark corner of the building, it’s peace of mind to know that in the event of a major or minor fire within the server cabinet – the room is protected.

To see an example of a server cabinet fire suppression system, take a look at this video from our suppression partners JacTone.  As you can see, it’s a highly effective system that works in seconds, minimising the damage.  This used to be a ‘luxury’ for businesses, but with insurance continuously asking for more stringent measures to be put in place – this is a relatively small yet critical element that could play a major part in how your business survives a potentially damaging situation.

If you’d like to know more about this area, take a look at our Fire Suppression section on the website.

It’s amazing to see that over 1,400 BBQ related incidents are reported each year, often with the unfortunate soul needing a trip to A+E as a result of their actions.  The lack of common sense would surprise many ‘normal folk’ – but the facts are that the good weather often brings out the irresponsible side – and alcohol and fire definitely isn’t a cocktail worth pursuing!

Fire takes no prisoners – so it’s vital that when you consider setting up your family BBQ at home – you make sure that you are well protected in the event of a fire that could quickly and easily go out of control.

From a business perspective, we wouldn’t suggest for one second that you rush here for a range of fire extinguishers – although you are most welcome to do so, and we could send our Fire Risk Assessment guru Kevin Davies out to see you too – but again, this could be considered ever so slightly over the top for some burnt chicken and overcooked sausage!

However, as the ‘unofficial BBQ season’ is set to traditionally begin over the Easter Holiday – do take a minute to make sure you are happy with your BBQ set up at home or if you are out and about in the countryside.

We’ve found a great link to some good advice from ROSPA here at http://bit.ly/bHQZgQ.  The main thing is to enjoy yourselves and whatever you do – don’t become a statistic!

Have a great holiday!

We’ve recently been looking into how we can help with such requirements.  The thought of lugging a large metal based extinguisher around the countryside seems antiquated in the extreme – so it’s amazing how inspiration from the likes of the USA who need to tackle enormous grass fires can help our fire-fighters improve their capability when it comes to tackling these situations.

We’re able to supply a specialist extinguisher backpack for such requirements.  The thought process behind this is really simple – a large PVC bladder backpack with a simple pumping mechanism (similar to a crop sprayer).  Comfortable to use and wear, it contains nearly 20 litres of water or foam based extinguishing capability, and is capable of fast re-filling in emergency situations.

As the British climate evolves, the dangers of grass fires in rural and urbanised areas is continuing to rise year on year – both through arson and natural occurrences.  Fire crews are under increasing pressure to save money, work smarter, and work to tight regulations when it comes to response times.

Emergency backpacks such as the ones in the image provided alleviate the pressure of calling out fire vehicles that can be utilised better elsewhere.  In these tough times, we’re all having to find better ways of working in order to find cost effective solutions to our rapidly changing environment! If you are interested in finding out more about these products, give us a call.

It’s a fact that the majority of employees that have never received fire training find it useful and eye opening at the same time.  It’s easy to suggest that ‘fire safety’ is just ‘common sense in practice’, but if you’ve never been shown how to use an extinguisher or what actions to take in the event of a fire starting in your office – what would you do first?

A complete novice may pick up a CO2 extinguisher, hold the ‘horn’ and point it at the fire.  The reality is that without proper training, they would more than likely end up with severe skin damage and burns from having kept hold of the horn as it turns so cold that it would cause your hand to stick to it because of the incredibly low temperature caused by the chemical reaction with the gases.

If you were in a fire situation, would you know how to raise the alarm, how to leave the building safely, and which type of extinguisher to use – and importantly, know when to exit the building??  It’s surprising how many employees don’t know what the procedures to follow are in the event of a fire breaking out.

Having recently attended a Fire Warden training session run by our company, it was fascinating to see how the trainees interacted during the session and how what many of us in the industry see as ‘the basics’ may not be so apparent to those without the proper training.

Eye opening, informative and highly relevant to all employees – fire warden training remains an integral and vital component for all businesses – regardless of their workplace, location or experience.  Have a look on our site today for more information on courses and what can be covered to ensure your staff remain fully aware of what to do in a worst case scenario.

As a company that prides itself on good customer service, we find it incredible that a hotel can be so lax about such matters as making sure their fire detection system is in good working order at all times.  To enforce this point further, only this week the former owners of a hotel have been found guilty of 11 breaches of fire safety legislation after a jury trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court.

The hotel owners in Wolverhampton were found guilty after a two-day trial of offences including a fire alarm not working, no smoke alarms or detectors in room, and blocked fire exits.  A number of detectors had been covered with plastic bags, the court heard, and escape routes were blocked with items including a wardrobe and ironing board. In addition, some fire doors had no self-closing mechanisms.

Obviously this is a far worse example than a poorly bodged repair to a heat detector – but the principle is the same.  Get your equipment maintained properly and don’t take chances with people’s lives.  Advice is a phone call away if you are not sure that your equipment is compliant or fully fit for purpose.

We can provide an audit, survey or full fire risk assessment of any business premises to advise you on making sure that you have all the equipment you need in place!

The extinguisher in question was 20 years old – so shouldn’t even have been in service at the building in the first place – it was well over its end of life and should have been recycled by now.  Worryingly, the extinguisher unit itself had been ‘serviced’ less than a month ago – so therefore the fire safety engineer that called had deemed the extinguisher satisfactory and in all likelihood, had given it a wipe with a cloth and filled out the service label for ‘easy money’.

Thankfully, the employee avoided serious injury (aside from the shock factor) when the extinguisher exploded, but the moral of this blog is a simple one.  Compliance may seem like ‘yet another cost’ for many businesses, but make sure that you employ the services of a BAFE accredited fire services company for your fire equipment servicing!

In addition to having peace of mind that your equipment will be up to date and properly serviced – you’ll also be dealing with fully trained BAFE standard accredited engineers who can advise your business on your fire and safety requirements as a whole.

Never be afraid to ask your fire services company what they have done to insure that your equipment is in date and up the requirements of the job in hand.  The consequences of this particular incident could have been far worse than two big holes in the side of an extinguisher casing and one very shocked employee!

Call us today if you are in any doubt about the quality or condition of your fire services equipment on 01352 755 866!

Hopefully my request did not cause too much inconvenience or demand too much of your time. Some of you, understandably, had a few questions about my request, so I hope this article has helped to clarify any outstanding queries you have.

Of course, if you have any queries of your own please do not hesitate to contact us. We are here to help at all times.

Regards,

Nathan Hands | Business Development Manager

We have been assessed by CHAS and deemed to be competent and operating to safe standards. This marks a milestone in the development of Jackson Fire and Security as a company and a true testament to the lengths we go to in order to ensure a safe environment not only for our operatives, but for our clients.

What is CHAS?

In 1997 a group of health and safety and procurement professionals from across Great Britain worked with the Association of London Government (ALG) to develop CHAS. In 2001 CHAS became a web-based system.

CHAS started with two main aims:

- To improve health and safety standards across Great Britain.

- To reduce duplicated safety applications for both suppliers and buyers.

Participating in the CHAS scheme helps both suppliers and buyers:

- Suppliers show compliance with important parts of health and safety law (the core criteria described in the CDM regulations).

- On achieving compliance a supplier is approved to work for all of CHAS’ buyers.(Some Buyers may require “Accredited” Status)

- Inconsistencies are reduced where some suppliers may be judged compliant by one buyer but not another.

- CHAS gives guidance on any weaknesses in a supplier’s safety management, including how they can improve.

- Being a CHAS supplier or buyer saves both time and resources.

Consider regular checks of the building and surrounding areas. Identify any areas that are vulnerable and remove loose objects that could be used as missiles

Make sure all service doors are kept locked and secure when not in use

Ensure your CCTV system is fully operational

Consider removing high value goods from display windows overnight

Keep as little cash as possible in the building overnight

Where possible retail premises should be suitably staffed with security guards

Landlords need to ensure that residents living above commercial premises are aware of risks and ensure that all fire alarms, smoke alarms and fire escapes are fully functional

Does your alarm company have the latest key holder information? If not call them now

Does your business have an emergency business plan?

Petrol stations should avoid selling petrol in small containers

If you feel concerned that your property is under threat, please do not hesitate to give us a call! 01352 755866.