Fire risk

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Tempest

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Cigarettes? Welding torches? Gasoline? Lighters?

Nope...




Fire extinguishers! From the UK of course:
Quote:
“We do not want to encourage people to leave their flat to fetch a fire extinguisher from a hallway and then return to a blaze. We want people to get out safely.

“Obviously in some cases, an extinguisher could come in useful in a communal area but with new building regulations, every escape route should be completely fireproof. It very much depends on the individual property and what the assessor believes is the correct course of action.”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3525380.ece
Along with obvious danger of red pens...thank goodness government is looking out for our well being.
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Wouldn't it be easier to just ban fires altogether?

"By proclamation of the Department of Fire Managment, there shall henceforth be no more fires allowed in Her Majesty's Kingdom."
 
Originally Posted By: moribundman
Wouldn't it be easier to just ban fires altogether?

"By proclamation of the Department of Fire Managment, there shall henceforth be no more fires allowed in Her Majesty's Kingdom."

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This is funny. On a more serious note though its relavent due to the fact that fire extinguishers are fairly uneffective especially when used by people who dont know how to properly deploy them and even if they do, the fire may be too hot or large for them to make any headway on. I can see grabbing one if it was a small fire or your loved ones were trapped but beyond that just get everyone out safely and call 911.
 
Firefighters want fire extinguishers banned... Does anyone see a motive behind that move?

I suspect British dentist would lobby for a ban on toothbrushes, citing possible damage to sensitive gum tissue if the user brushes side to side instead of up and down.
 
Originally Posted By: AzFireGuy79
This is funny. On a more serious note though its relavent due to the fact that fire extinguishers are fairly uneffective especially when used by people who dont know how to properly deploy them and even if they do, the fire may be too hot or large for them to make any headway on. I can see grabbing one if it was a small fire or your loved ones were trapped but beyond that just get everyone out safely and call 911.


Right, common laboratory safety procedure is to only use the extinguisher to get yourself or others out, NOT to fight the fire. No sense in being a hero.
 
I have in the past found a fire extinguisher to be useful in subduing an intruder. Not with the foam, but with the canister right in the face.
 
Originally Posted By: moribundman
I have in the past found a fire extinguisher to be useful in subduing an intruder. Not with the foam, but with the canister right in the face.

See there you go. Now you have given them a reason to ban them. This makes them weapons and therefore require nearly impossible permits to posses or outright confiscation.
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I think they were clever enough to figure it out on their own. They don't need my help. What the Brits come up with now, will of course eventually be adopted here also.
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Right, common laboratory safety procedure is to only use the extinguisher to get yourself or others out, NOT to fight the fire. No sense in being a hero.


Plenty of times that quick thought and an extinguisher will prevent serious damage to plant and equipment.

Nothing about being a hero, but if you are in your comfort zone with an extinguisher, then use it. We have annual fire fighting training, and I've only used it twice.

Send the nancy boys off to dial up the emergency.

When I worked in petrol stations, my boss clearly understood that a fire on the forecourt would be rung in from the pay phone half way up the block.
 
Originally Posted By: Tempest
Cigarettes? Welding torches? Gasoline? Lighters?

Nope...




Fire extinguishers! From the UK of course:
Quote:
“We do not want to encourage people to leave their flat to fetch a fire extinguisher from a hallway and then return to a blaze. We want people to get out safely.

“Obviously in some cases, an extinguisher could come in useful in a communal area but with new building regulations, every escape route should be completely fireproof. It very much depends on the individual property and what the assessor believes is the correct course of action.”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3525380.ece
Along with obvious danger of red pens...thank goodness government is looking out for our well being.
smirk2.gif



I must be missing something... What's wrong with the recommendation not to go back to the fire and instead let the firefighters deal with it, and have fireproof exits.

There probably is a statistical analysis on the mortality rate of the people who fetch a fire extinguisher and return to fight the fire. A small fire can get quite large by the time you go to the hallway, find an extinguisher and return to the scene.

And yes, a good government is supposed to care about the well being of its citizens.
 
A fire extinguisher close to a possible source of fire makes sense, like in a garage, the kitchen, etc., but looking for one while a fire grows doesn't make as much sense.

We lost many millions when a sprinkler system went off accidently.
 
I have seen many people burned because they decided to go back in and try to put the fire out with a small ABC extinguisher. The real danger and what this acticle really speaks to is the fact that people die doing this. Smoke inhalation is the leading cause of death in a structure fire, not burn injuries. Even if you make some headway on the fire, you are still risking being overcome by Carbon Monoxide.

Fire safety and education are very imporatant, but some poeple don't listen or think it will never be them. If you don't have turnout gear and an SCBA call the guys that do and get to a safe place. We are not talking about a trash can or microwave fire here guys. That's common sense. If it's really small, hit it with the ABC. The problem is there aren't enough "nancy boys" in this world. Often times it's the diluted hero types that get hurt. They think they can do the FD's job.

The fire service has a risk profile. In short, Risk a little to save a little, Risk alot to save alot, Risk nothing for that which is already lost. I'm not saying heroism is dead, just that it need's to be calculated.
 
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Thanks for injecting some reality to the discussion. It's usually a thankless job in this forum.
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Originally Posted By: CivicFan

I must be missing something... What's wrong with the recommendation not to go back to the fire and instead let the firefighters deal with it, and have fireproof exits.

There probably is a statistical analysis on the mortality rate of the people who fetch a fire extinguisher and return to fight the fire. A small fire can get quite large by the time you go to the hallway, find an extinguisher and return to the scene.

And yes, a good government is supposed to care about the well being of its citizens.

I agree with what your saying, but banning all extinguishers is too broad a stroke. Ban them from common areas in apartment buildings if needed.
Honestly I think the solution is better science education in schools, every kid should know that the smoke will kill you and quick, it would also keep the government from trying to become a nanny state in many other issues.
I use a wood stove and I keep a large extinguisher handy, I try very hard to make sure I don't need it but I still want to have it. I would feel quite stupid watching a small fire grow waiting for 10-12 minutes for the fire dept to show up...
Ian
 
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Originally Posted By: 1sttruck
A fire extinguisher close to a possible source of fire makes sense, like in a garage, the kitchen, etc., but looking for one while a fire grows doesn't make as much sense.

We lost many millions when a sprinkler system went off accidently.


The ideal place for a fire extinguisher is just inside the room at the exit from the room. That way, when you get to the extinguisher you are in the ideal position to decide whether you should extinguish the fire of leave.

If a person doesn't know how to use a fire extinguisher or has no idea what it's capabilities are, then they should just leave.

If a person doesn't know how to use a fire extinguisher and have some idea what it's limitations are, then that is sad.
 
Keep in mind that they are talking fire extinguishers in hallways of apartment buildings. So, you have a fire that you cannot extinguish, you get out of your flat, run across a hallway, get the fire extinguisher and by the time you come back, you have a major fire on your hands. If there is no extinguisher then you don't come back.

Of course, it would be a better solution to require each flat have an extinguisher but that would be too much of a 'nanny state'.
 
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