Dramatic crane operator rescue another indication of the dangers of fire

The very last thing that our seasoned fire safety professionals here at Triple Star Fire (http://www.triplestarfire.com) would want for your organisation's employees this Christmas would be for them to discover the dangers of fire the hard way, as a result of a failure to maintain fire alarms or carry out other vital safety measures. Indeed, even with the best will in the world, fire can pose a real peril to human life, as a crane operator in Canada recently found out in dramatic fashion.

It was in Kingston, Ontario where the crane worker found himself trapped when a fire broke out in a half-built apartment building. Thankfully for the naturally petrified man, a Griffon helicopter from Canadian Forces Base Trenton was on hand to pluck him to safety after he had made his way to the tip of the crane, as documented in video footage widely viewed online. He was then taken to a waiting ambulance, the police stating that he was believed to have sustained only minor injuries. But they also confirmed the luckiness of his escape, the "structurally unsafe and at risk of collapse" base of the crane making the rescue a true race against time.

Sadly, not all such attempted rescues have such a happy ending, which only further confirms the importance of the introduction and maintenance of the right fire safety equipment, as well as such measures as a thorough fire risk assessment. This time of year is supposed to be one of celebration, after all, and you will want to focus on your organisation concluding the year on a successful note, rather than having to face what can be the extremely grave human, legal and/or financial consequences of fire.

That message of caution has been spread by many other fire safety organisations across the country lately, including Humberside Fire and Rescue Service, which having been forced into providing a reduced emergency response service due to strike action, urged local businesses to take their own steps to reduce the likelihood of fire. Deputy Chief Fire Officer Dene Sanders reminded businesses of the importance of an up to date fire risk assessment, as part of safety arrangements that were sufficiently robust to enable everyone to quickly and easily escape the building in the event of fire.

Dene also flagged up the potential fire hazard of Christmas decorations and lights, telling firms to ensure that all of their decorative lights had a British Safety Standard sign on them, while also not leaving them on overnight when the business was closed and the premises unoccupied. We can only wholeheartedly support such advice here at Triple Star Fire (http://www.triplestarfire.com), and would urge any business that requires such services as fire alarm installations and/or fire equipment maintenance over the Christmas and New Year period to get in touch without delay.

Editor’s Note: Triple Star Fire (http://www.triplestarfire.com) are represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Email: info@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.

Those easily forgotten Christmas fire safety tips

It's so easy to overlook that, as your employees start to get excited about the upcoming festive period and everyone rushes to get assignments done by those final pre-holiday deadlines, the highest standards of fire safety continue to apply in your organisation. That naturally means doing everything possible to maintain fire alarms and other vital equipment, as can be purchased from Triple Star Fire (http://www.triplestarfire.com), but it also means taking note of the aspects of fire safety that are slightly different at this time of year.

Generally speaking, Christmas wouldn't increase the fire safety risk in your workplace if it wasn't for the many electrical decorations and lights that tend to be increasingly strewn around the office as December looms. Basic steps that you are advised to take therefore include reviewing your firm's fire risk assessment, identifying the additional hazards and calculating the risks, as well as identifying who is at risk - with the elderly, young and disabled a particular priority. A hierarchy of control should also be used to identify the necessary control measures, and significant findings should finally be recorded and instruction given to workers.

Good general fire safety advice for this time of year includes ensuring that fire exit signs, call points, emergency lights, fire alarm sounders and other fire safety equipment is not concealed or obscured, as well as introducing any additional directional or exit notices that you deem to be necessary. Nor should fire escape doors or routes ever be obstructed or made harder to use by any Christmas trees, decorations or lights.

We'd also advise you to carefully consider the exact decorations that you introduce to your workplace. The extremely flammable nature of paper trimmings and cotton wool, for example, should certainly rule them out as an option, and you might look for a supplier of fire retardant foil decorations and fire resistant paper decorations. You should also space out your decorations so that in the event of a fire, it does not spread easily from one decoration to another, and nor should your decorations be placed in close proximity to ignition sources.

Some businesses opt for artificial Christmas trees to reduce their fire risk, not least as a real one can be highly flammable if it is allowed to dry out as a result of inadequate watering by busy workers. The tree should also be placed in a sufficiently stable container that it cannot be easily knocked over. Be wary of using lighted candles anywhere near your Christmas tree, and ensure that any lighting and electrical decorations that you use have been tested prior to use by a competent person, in addition to meeting the relevant British Safety Standard.

There is so much more advice in relation to Christmas fire safety that we can give you here at Triple Star Fire (http://www.triplestarfire.com) - not least, the importance of not only investing in the right fire alarm installations, but also all of the associated fire equipment maintenance.

Editor’s Note: Triple Star Fire (http://www.triplestarfire.com) are represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Email: info@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.

Does your business have a fire alarm maintenance contract in place?

Ensuring the highest level of fire safety for the occupants of your organisation’s premises is a legal, moral and financial necessity – that much should be clear for anyone who has spent a decent amount of time reading the Triple Star Fire (http://www.triplestarfire.com) blog, or spoken to one of our technicians. However, it isn’t as simple a process as having the right fire alarm system in place, even with the lengthy assessments and subsequent installation and acceptance stages, perhaps followed by the occasional service. What you need is a more meaningful fire alarm maintenance contract.

It’s vital to meticulously maintain fire alarms, for the simple reason that it can easily be the difference between life and death in the event of a fire outbreak at your firm’s premises. In addition, if a fire does occur at your property, irrespective of whether you have a fire detection or protection system installed, the outcome of any insurance claim that you make will be judged by the insurer on the basis of whether or not the system was fully maintained and operational at the time the incident occurred. It therefore makes sense to invest a relatively small amount of money now to ensure ongoing maintenance and complete peace of mind.

Certainly, having your system regularly checked is also a legal requirement, so it makes complete business sense to invest in a contract for fire equipment maintenance. All work needs to be carried out in accordance with BS5839, which is the British Standard regulating the service and general upkeep of all of the UK’s fire systems. All in all, no fire protection strategy is complete unless arrangements are in place to ensure regular, consistent and up-to-date fire alarm maintenance – but you should contact a professional fire alarm specialist to carry out this work for you.

Here at Triple Star Fire, we take pride in offering the complete Service and Maintenance Contract, which enables maintenance visits on your fire alarm installations to be managed cost-effectively. Above all else, it’s about ensuring that your fire alarm actually works when you need it most – at the moment a fire breaks out. Benefits of our fire service and maintenance contract include support from our 24 hour customer service centre, with our engineers being available on a 24 hours a day, 365 days a year basis. The contract also includes routine inspections in accordance with British Standards, complete with any minor adjustments that may be required.

Other advantages of our contract for fire alarm maintenance include a 12 month warranty for additional fitted equipment, 4 hour response to all emergency callouts subject to contract, and False Alarm Management and advice against the latest standards. Such a comprehensive Service and Maintenance Contract is just one part of the professional and affordable fire protection services and equipment that Triple Star Fire (http://www.triplestarfire.com) provides for all manner of UK businesses and organisations, helping your firm to avoid becoming a statistic.

Editor’s Note: Triple Star Fire (http://www.triplestarfire.com) are represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Email: info@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.

Landlords and fire services brought together for new student safety scheme

With the student property market experiencing its usual seasonal resurgence as undergraduates and postgraduates alike hunt out the best accommodation and join in with the customary fresher's festivities, as a landlord of a student property, you may think that you have enough to occupy you right now without being lectured on fire alarm maintenance and similar fire safety measures by Triple Star Fire (http://www.triplestarfire.com).

But if you need just one or two prompts to maintain fire alarms and undertake those all-important fire risk assessments, it's the research encompassing 1,500 landlords and 1,600 students across the UK revealing that more than one in five landlords (21 per cent) never worry about ensuring the safety of their tenants. That is despite the almost one in 10 renters (8 per cent) who claim to have had a fire incident or gas leak in their home.

Here at the fire equipment maintenance specialists Triple Star Fire, we think you should be rather more conscientious than that. Helping to ensure this is the introduction of an innovative training scheme, whereby student landlords receive expert help from local fire safety professionals in suitably protecting their tenants from accidental fires.

It isn't just the property owners who are genuinely benefitting from the scheme, with the participating fire services also gaining a better appreciation of the unique requirements of landlords as far as student letting is concerned. The scheme is called Firemark, and is the creation of the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, uniting these two parties that are so important in ensuring student safety.

Included in the initiative are short videos highlighting the importance of protecting student tenants from accidental blazes, as well as materials for the instigation of interactive and dynamic sessions between fire safety professionals and landlords. The training video and interactive sessions cover such matters as the right time and place for a fire risk assessment to be undertaken, as well as what is required of landlords if they are to achieve compliance with the most recent rules and regulations.

Indeed, the scheme goes further than this, also informing landlords on what they can do above and beyond the requirements set out by law. In its launch of the scheme, the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service cited as its inspiration for Firemark the tragic death of two young students in a rented house in Torquay, Devon in 2009.

Certainly, here at Triple Star Fire (http://www.triplestarfire.com), we are great believers in taking every effort to ensure the highest level of fire safety for UK properties and business premises. Across various industries, we focus on providing, installing and maintaining a wide range of truly industry-leading fire safety equipment, from the most trusted manufacturers - all as part of the most responsive, professional and customer-focussed service. Contact us now to find out more.

Editor’s Note: Triple Star Fire (http://www.triplestarfire.com) are represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Email: info@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.

                                          

Brazil nightclub tragedy highlights the importance of effective fire safety legislation

The next time you find yourself cursing the perceived hassle and expense involved in having fire alarm systems set up at your investment property or business premises to meet your legal obligations with regard to fire safety, consider the recent horrible nightclub blaze in Brazil and the subsequent fallout. Here at Triple Star Fire (http://www.triplestarfire.com), we don't believe that anybody should enter a supposedly safe property and not come out with their lives.

And yet, more than 230 people were killed as a result of the latest blaze on the other side of the Atlantic, and with Brazil set to host the World Cup in 2014, as well as the 2016 Olympics, many observers have expressed anxiety about the suitability of the nation's present safety legislation. Indeed, the country's Congress will be asked to enact a new federal bill in an attempt to improve the matter before these sporting tournaments take place.

Such a bill would cover fire prevention measures in addition to the licensing of clubs and mass events. At the moment, various state and city laws exist, over which the new legislation would take precedence. The high number of deaths in the tragedy in the southern city of Santa Maria shows the very real downside of the inconsistent standards to which many of the country's safety inspectors presently work.

In the case of the Santa Maria fire, the high death toll has been particularly attributed to the stampede as the blaze began, with only one exit being available through which clubbers could escape. Many bodies were found trapped in the toilets of the club, indicating that they were mistaken for an exit. This led congressman Paulo Pimenta to comment to BBC Brasil that nationwide rules about emergency lights and exit signs would also be established by the new federal legislation.

Here at Triple Star Fire, we believe that there are many sad lessons that can be learned from these terrible events from the point of view of any British business that may be obligated to install and maintain fire alarms and associated equipment. First of all, the causes of the fire and subsequent fatalities indicate the often complicated nature of fire safety. However, they also send a clear signal to any wavering UK businesses of the importance of adequate fire risk assessment and safety equipment.

As a specialist in fire safety equipment including fire alarms, fire extinguishers and even fire telephone and disabled refuge systems, Triple Star Fire (http://www.triplestarfire.com) continually emphases how even the simplest of measures can make a big difference in saving the lives of a building's occupants, should the worst occur. Visit us online now to discover more about our cost-effective solutions.

Editor’s Note: Triple Star Fire (http://www.triplestarfire.com) is represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Please direct all press queries to Louise Byrne. Email: louise@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.

Why you’ll be thankful for our fire system monitoring services

The highest standards of fire safety for your domestic or business property are not just a legal obligation – they’re a moral one, too. That’s why here at Triple Star Fire (http://www.triplestarfire.com) we take such pride in supplying, installing and maintaining fire safety equipment such as fire alarm systems and fire extinguishers. Such measures have long helped to save lives when fire breaks out, whatever the exact time and circumstances.

However, our fire safety equipment and services are not just aimed at averting tragedy in your domestic or business property, giving human occupants plenty of notice and opportunity to escape a fire before they are placed in mortal danger. That’s because if fire strikes your business, even if nobody is killed or injured, you still stand to lose much of what you have spent years working for... and with so many businesses never fully recovering from a fire, it really pays to be properly prepared.

If your property is affected by fire during business working hours or another time when you are personally present, you’ll hopefully be able to raise the alarm yourself so that the emergency services can be rapidly sent to put the fire out and minimise the damage. This isn’t a luxury that you would have, however, if the fire occurred ‘out of hours’... which is why you may choose to have our DualCom fire system monitoring added to your fire alarm system.

This system means that as soon as possible after a fire breaks out, the fire brigade will be alerted so that they can promptly get to your premises – potentially making all the difference between the ‘life’ and ‘death’ of your business. Clients of our DualCom fire system monitoring can also benefit from dual path signalling that uses both a landline and a mobile phone network to send a fire signal to the Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC). This means that with the triggering of the alarm, the ARC is also immediately alerted, which allows the emergency services to act.

Having been around since 2006, Triple Star Fire (http://www.triplestarfire.com) is staffed by people who know their way around the fire safety industry, using their huge level of experience and expertise to supply, install and maintain fire alarms in the most appropriate fashion. This also includes choosing only the products of the most trustworthy brands. Our specialists are easy to contact and can advise you on the best Redcare systems for the protection of your own business premises.  

Editor’s Note: Triple Star Fire (http://www.triplestarfire.com) is represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Please direct all press queries to Louise Byrne. Email: louise@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.