Car Fire Extinguishers stand test of time
The safety benefits for having a car extinguisher were recognised 100 years ago when Pyrene introduced the first CTC (Carbon Tetrachloride) canister in 1912. The effectiveness of CTC in suppressing flammable liquid and electrical fires meant they were often fitted as standard to many vintage vehicles and are still sought after today by vintage car enthusiasts and vehicle restorers albeit now only strictly for show.
When you stop to think your car contains a host of materials, including flammable liquids like petrol and oil, solid combustibles such as hose lines, plastics and upholstery that provide a ready source of fuel for a fire. A car also has many potential sources of heat capable of igniting these materials including electrical equipment and evermore complex wiring with the potential to short circuit, hot exhaust systems, air bag detonators and batteries. Even the heat of the engine is sufficient to ignite fumes from leaking fuel lines.
Although most car fires originate in the engine compartment the passenger compartment is not immune. My daughter once had a close encounter with disaster when she left an empty coke bottle in the back seat on a clear sunny day. The bottle acted like a prism and the concentrated sunlight burnt a neat track in the roof lining of the cab. She was fortunate the concentrated rays were not directed at the newspaper and magazines adjacent the bottle.
There are many other practical safety reasons to carry a car fire extinguisher particularly if you are holidaying in a caravan, out for a picnic or camping when statistically the risks of accidental fires are at their greatest. Having a fire extinguisher to hand may prevent a minor fire from getting out of control.
The lethal gases produced as a consequence of using the Pyrene CTC extinguishers sealed their demise a long time ago and they were quickly superseded by modern versatile dry powder and foam fire extinguishers both of which are effective on flammable liquids and solid combustibles. The dry powder extinguishers have added advantages as they can be used safely on fires involving live electricity and also flammable gases like butane.
Extinguishers are available in convenient sizes to fit unobtrusively in your car. The compact 600g disposable aerosol extinguisher is small enough to fit in a glove compartment whilst the 1kg dry powder fire extinguisher with refillable canister can be mounted in a door tray, on a cabin side strut or out of sight in the car boot.
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Hotel Fire started by Party Coach Revellers
When I think of a coach party I recall the 50′s and 60′s with some nostalgia, the time before the package holiday ushered in a new era for holiday makers when the annual Coach Party trip was the highlight of the year. Mums weighed down with everything imaginable, dads replete in suits and ties and gabbling awestruck kids all set off for the joys of coast or countryside in lumbering retro Coaches replete with faux leather seats and ash trays that you could actually use.
Today in a telling switch the Coach Party has been rebranded the Party Coach which one operator describes as “a disco on wheels” with “everything you need for a fun packed journey.” Everything you need but fire extinguishers apparently, if the experience of the owners of the historic St Magnus Bay Hotel in Hillswick, Shetland is anything to go by.
When a Party Coach of reveller’s descended on the hotel a carelessly discarded cigarette in the entrance, having smouldered undetected for some time eventually developed into a fire, by which time the culprit had long departed on his or her Party Bus.
To add insult to injury two fire extinguishers that would have been more than useful in stemming the flames had been stolen from the hotel. What exactly the revellers intended to do with the fire extinguishers is unclear. The black market in stolen fire extinguishers is hardly the focus of organized crime.
The internal smoke alarms did not operate as the entrance was partly open to the elements. The owners might like to look at our Cigarette Smoke detector for exposed areas that barks out a warning message if it detects smoke. When you think about it the hotel entrance is a high risk area as unlike the old days the only opportunity a smoker has to satisfy their addiction is between leaving the coach and entering the hotel or vice versa.
Co owner of the hotel Ms Manson said: “For every 150 lovely people there is one spoilsport.” In my judgment she has overestimated the ratio by at least a factor of 10. The copious amounts of Alcohol that go hand in hand with the Party Coach ethos will make idiots of them all eventually.
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5 More Common Causes of Fire in the Home
6. Portable Heaters
Portable gas and electric heaters can be lethal if poorly sited or misused. Fan and radiant heaters can quickly overheat if covered or obstructed.
Top Tips
Don’t use portable heaters as clothes dryers. Cotton can ignite at 200 degrees celsius whereas an electric fire element is approaching 1000 degrees celsius. No maths needed here. Remember living flame type gas fires need a fire guard.
7. Your Fireplace
If your house has an open fire you should take extra precautions. Sparks from an unguarded fire can smolder for hours before breaking into flame.
Top Tips
Always invest in a fire guard that is of a size adequate to prevent sparks escaping. Don’t stack logs or other combustibles on the hearth adjacent to the fire. Have the chimney swept and inspected for deterioration at least once a year.
8. Boiler Room
By definition having a carbon fuel heating boiler means you have a fire in the home whenever it is lit so don’t ignore the potential for fire.
Top Tips
Avoid accumulating rubbish or combustibles such as paper in a boiler room. Make sure you have an automatic fire safety cut out device fitted (required in all new installations by law). Don’t pile clothes or other combustibles on top of the boiler. As an added precaution fit a Carbon Monoxide detector and alarm to warn of this deadly gas.
9. Barbeques
A great way to dine but also a significant fire hazard due to irregular burning and variable air flow.
Top Tips
Light the bar-b-q well away from the house, shed, trellising or other combustibles. Use oven gloves and tongs when cooking. Leave the used fire tray overnight before disposing of the ashes.
10. Garden Fires
It is strange but true that many get something of a feel good factor from having a Garden Fire. Getting shut of nature’s clutter and spent glory ready for a new season is satisfying. Trouble is that many part time pyromaniacs apparently take far too little time assessing the risks.
Top Tips
Don’t light fires near buildings. Close any open windows and doors in the house – sparks fly!! Keep the fire small and under control adding material gradually. Have a fire bucket of water or a dry powder fire extinguisher on hand for emergencies.
Top Ten Causes of Home Fires
On average of 350000 fires are dealt with annually by the fire and rescue services. You may be surprised that fires in the home account for only around 15% of the total. Sadly of the 450 deaths arising directly from all fires nearly 80% were in residential houses according to the 2008 statistics. Here’s a list of the most common causes excluding criminal acts such as arson.
Cooking Fires
Cigarette Smoking
Misuse of Matches and Lighters
Faulty Electrical Appliances
Faulty Wiring Circuits
Portable Space Heaters
Chimney Fires
Boiler Rooms
Barbeques
Garden Fires
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5 Safety tips on how to avoid Fire Hazards in the home
1. Your Kitchen
Kitchen fires are by far the most common cause of fire in the home. With water, electricity, fats, gas, wood and any number of chemicals from cleaning fluids to solvents to be found in any kitchen you need added safety precautions to avoid a serious fire.
Top tips
Don’t overheat or overfill chip pans or better still buy a deep fat fryer with a thermostat. Don’t leave oily or chemical stained rags in a heap under the sink. The combinations of chemicals can cause self combustion. Wash or throw them in the outside rubbish bin. Invest in a Fire blanket for smothering small fires on hobs and grill pans. Whatever you do don’t throw water at a cooking fire.
2. Smoking – anywhere
Next on the list is the cigarette. Such fires occur every day and particularly it seems at night when you are liable to nod off on the settee or worse in bed clutching a half smoked cigarette. Modern upholstery should be fire safe but clothing and bedding is not.
Top tips
Don’t smoke indoors if at all possible. If not possible use proper glass or ceramic ash trays not plastic cups or old Indian takeaway trays – they burn!! Look out for the self extinguishing cigarette which is heading our way any time soon courtesy of European legislation. Install at least one smoke alarm preferably in a hall or landing to avoid false alarms.
3. Matches
Kids are inquisitive so don’t leave temptation lying around the house. Carelessly discarding matches and ash trays into waste bins causes umpteen fires every year.
Top Tips
Only use safety matches.
Educate the kids to the dangers with some online videos of house fires and the devastation caused
4. Electrical Appliances
Just because electricity is invisible we tend to ignore its potential to cause a fire. In today’s age it drives virtually everything in the home. Plugging your TV, DVD, Bluray, video and half a dozen 20 Watt speakers into one socket is asking for trouble. So is hanging on to Gran’s trusty old iron or the funky 60’s vintage cooker. Insulation breaks down over time and a serious fire could be the result.
Top Tips
Avoid overloading sockets and avoid using extension blocks. Check the total Amperage rating on appliances connected to extension blocks – above 13amp you need an extra wall socket – not a bigger extension block!! Bundle trailing electrical cables with ties and don’t run them under carpets in high footfall areas
5.Electrical Wiring Circuits
Nothing lasts forever and wiring in older houses may be past its shelf life and inadequate for modern appliances. A surprising number of fires are caused by old wiring breaking down. Old wiring is also unlikely to conform to current IEEE and building safety regulations particularly in Kitchens and Bathrooms.
Top Tips
Have a qualified electrician check the wiring circuits for deterioration and for compliance with current safety regulations. If you are a technophobe with a house full of electronic gadgetry invest in a small Carbon Monoxide Fire extinguisher. They will put out an electrical fire without damaging or contaminating adjacent equipment or circuitry.
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Talking fire extinguishers to educate kids
Children are being taught about fire safety in Lincolnshire schools.
The local fire and rescue service has introduced three talking fire extinguishers to teach children how to prevent and escape house fires.
Nationally, around 7,000 people are rescued from fires every year and it is hoped that Freddy, Penelope and Filbert will help educate youngsters on the dangers of blazes in the home.
Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service plan to use the three digital characters in a new DVD which aims to educate the county’s children.
A previous film featuring the trio was sold throughout the UK and raised £40,000.
Barrie Holden from Lincolnshire based The Fire and Safety Centre backed the initiative.
“Educating children about fire safety is important and these characters help get the message across to that young audience,” he said.
To read the article in full visit This Is Lincolnshire.
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