Search results for Portable Fire Extinguishers: to use or not to use
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Portable Fire Extinguishers: to use or not to use?
...f situation. Unfortunately a lot of trainers have little experience or practical hands on and only teach from training school procedures or what they have been shown, which is ok in a controlled environment. Also a number of well know companies produce DVD’s for Extinguishers Training and I have (to date) never seen one that teaches the correct way to use extinguishers, in particular the Dry Powder (Dry Chemical as it is referred to). A blanket could be used but again good training will identify when and when not to use, locations you are likely to find them and the advantages and disadvantage...
Comment | 2 Nov 2007
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Portable Fire Extinguishers: to use or not to use?
I have found your coments on the use or not use question very interesting. Some years ago I serviced fire extinguishers for a living, I was called to an office to refil a used extinguisher. The unit had been used to extinguish a small waste bin fire. The operator had been trained or at least on a course.The extinguisher used was 9ltr water, fired it into the bin shooting the contents up into the air, l...
Comment | 2 Nov 2007
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Portable Fire Extinguishers: to use or not to use?
can you email the white paper - use or not to use - I an unable to download the PDF!
Comment | 10 Oct 2007
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Portable Fire Extinguishers: to use or not to use?
Mark, As you are aware the original question that prompted the debate was related to "Portable Fire Extinguishers - to use or not" and how to obtain the White Paper - whilst of course I am aware that your original question was answered I thought for those people that had not seen the paper I would post a simple answer to the question and this is obviously what sparked the comments. I person...
Comment | 2 Nov 2007
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Portable Fire Extinguishers: to use or not to use?
Maxine, Re fire extinguishers - we received the following safety alert notice from a client. BP Safety Alert Failure of Gas Cartridge Fire Extinguisher Description of Event A fatal injury occurred in Indonesia resulting from the operation of a gas cartridge type dry chemical powder filled fire extinguishe...
Comment | 30 Oct 2007
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Portable Fire Extinguishers: to use or not to use?
Portable Fire Extinguishers are fitted to deal with a small fire, if you feel competent to do so, without putting yourself or others at risk. Or to help you escape the building. The Fire Risk Assessment should clearly specify the Classification of Risks in all areas, the equipment specified, commissioned o...
Comment | 18 Oct 2007
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Portable Fire Extinguishers: to use or not to use?
When considering the advisability of staff being trained and authorised to use fire fighting aids - 'if confident and if it is safe to do so' - most comments originate from office or factory based staff. Can I 'throw in' the added complication of residential care homes, where residents are now much more elderly frail, mentally frail or recieving nursing care. The RRO requires ...
Comment | 5 Nov 2007
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Portable Fire Extinguishers: to use or not to use?
Alan. Yes you would be unlikely to find a fire blanket in an office but is the only reason for this that standards do not recommend it? The cost to extinguisher suppliers would be rather high if this were to occur. Mark I agree good training cannot be seconded, I have seen many courses over the years some good, some like a recent one I witness...
Comment | 2 Nov 2007
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Portable Fire Extinguishers: to use or not to use?
For some reasons the ending to my comments were not displayed so here they are - comments that end my reply to Alan --- but of course every situation is different and I am always open to suggestion, opinion and am always willing to learn or try a new approach. Mark
Comment | 2 Nov 2007
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Portable Fire Extinguishers: to use or not to use?
...he more people know the better they will feel and more they will understand, as someone that’s been involved in Safety for a lot of years, there is the real problem ‘opinion and interpretation’ and although goal setting legislation is an excellent way of empowering people, it does by the same token cause a lot of problems and opens the door for your more unscrupulous types! I have not really commented on some of the issues discussed but rather enjoyed the debate but I will just say having done a lot of Extinguisher Training and been involved in a number of Risk Assessment, I can see both s...
Comment | 2 Nov 2007
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Portable Fire Extinguishers: to use or not to use?
I am interested to see Peter Travers suggestion that one might do without Fire Extinguishers. I think it would be a very brave "Responsible Person" whose Fire Risk Assessment would determine that in their premises these were not required. I would suggest that anyone thinking along these lines should study carefully Section 13 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 ...
Comment | 1 Nov 2007
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Portable Fire Extinguishers: to use or not to use?
Peter, I'm not sure if you read my previous post before you replied as I note they were posted at the same time, however, I will assume that you didn't. You have made a lot of points so I will try and deal with them one by one. In respect of your comments about the Great Fire of London and the Lord Mayor's alleged comments I don't think that you are referring to a "fire extinguisher" - more about bodily actions. Whilst I agree that strikes by the Fire Service are rare if you read my previous post I have highlighted a case where that happened and the role of hospital st...
Comment | 31 Oct 2007
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Portable Fire Extinguishers: to use or not to use?
Alan -if there is small fire how will anybody be trapped by it? A small fire in a low risk office I suggest could be circumvented quite easily without the need to fight the fire. How would you define small fire? One that could easily be put out with an extinguisher perhaps? In that instance then unless the "small" fire was o...
Comment | 31 Oct 2007
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Portable Fire Extinguishers: to use or not to use?
B Hannon I think that you have reitereated the points that I made and I would be interested in knowing if you support the training of staff in the use of portable fire fighting equipment because your last paragraph appears to be saying that we should leave firefighting to the people with protective equipment - is this true in all cases? I too have served in both a city and county fire service, I worked in the NHS as the Regional Fire Advisor and before I st...
Comment | 31 Oct 2007
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Portable Fire Extinguishers: to use or not to use?
Alen, your arguments are indeed cogent and you appear to be very knowledgeable. However, as a former firefighter with 20yrs city experience, i would suggest that unless there is a strong risk to life or being trapped, in the first instance on finding a fire, operate the fire alarm alert all you can then call the emergency services, dont fight the fire unless it is really small and relatively contained ...
Comment | 30 Oct 2007
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Portable Fire Extinguishers: to use or not to use?
Steve,The problem that you refer to has been with us for over 30 years which was when I advised my employers to move over to Stored Pressure Fire Extinguishers.For those persons that are not aware of the difference - stored pressure extinguishers have the pressure required to expel the contents of the extinguisher in the body of the extinguisher, whereas the type that Steve is talking about is a cartridge type extinguisher, here a small high...
Comment | 30 Oct 2007
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Portable Fire Extinguishers: to use or not to use?
Peter, I have heard this proposal from many of my clients that have a policy of instructing their staff not to fight fires - they argue "if we don't provide first aid fire fighting equipment - we don't need to train the staff either" this will be another cost saving move that we can make. Many of my health and safety colleagues have also put together some very interesting risk assessments supporting this theory but wh...
Comment | 30 Oct 2007
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Portable Fire Extinguishers: to use or not to use?
There is a train of thought that I have some empathy with. In low risk environments such as offices, now that smoking is banned- regular-PAT-Fire Marshals and approved contractors checking fire precautions checks i.e alarms etc then why have fire extinguishers at all. If a fire starts then an evacuate-call the Fire Service Policy reduces the risk of someone attempting to extinguish a fire and possibly putting themselves and others at risk. ...
Comment | 30 Oct 2007
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Portable Fire Extinguishers: to use or not to use?
Phillip, If you look at my previous comments about the NHS you are in very much the same position - many of the newer hospitals are designed and built so that patients can be evacuated on beds into an adjacent fire compartment but the majority of care homes don't have this facility so first aid fire fighting training is essential. I do know that you are in a very difficult position as I used to be part of the Health Authority Team that inspected homes so I have seen your problems at first hand.It is not easy ...
Comment | 5 Nov 2007
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Portable Fire Extinguishers: to use or not to use?
Brian, Yes, a blanket may have been better but you are unlikely to find a fire blanket in an office unless there is a kitchen nearby. I remember when I was studying in the USA I spent some time with a consultant that went around hospitals and one of his demonstrations was how to extinguish a fire in a waste basket using a piece of paper - and yes it did work - he slid the pap...
Comment | 2 Nov 2007
