Should Big Brother govern life choices?

There was something worryingly Orwellian about reading the Sunday paper this week. It started with an apparently serious front page article about the Mandometer (after mandible I guess) an ingenious talking plate that measures the amount of food you eat and issues terse warnings if you eat too much or too quickly. It even has a screen showing graphics of the food on the plate and shows it disappearing as one eats. Surely observing the actual plate would be equally effective in spotting this.  The idea of course is meant to cure all us common folk of obesity by “training” us to eat responsibly. Mad! Mad! Mad! This kind of intuitive talking safety device is not new. Our intelligent Cigarette Smoke Detector can not only detect a lighter flame at 6 metres but also issues a verbal “No smoking allowed” warning. In this case at least it is a necessary safeguard to meet sensible HSE and fire safety legislation.

Then the BMA publishes its annual crackpot scientific review on the dangers of cigarette smoking calling for smoking to be banned in (private) cars. The report asserted children in cars were subjected to 23 times the level of toxins from cigarettes than they would compared to a smoke filled bar. As we quite rightly no longer have smoked filled bars this assertion seemed based on dubious science. When challenged, the BMA had to quickly backtrack reducing its figure to “nearer 11″ before admitting the measurements were taken in cars with windows closed and the air-conditioning in recirculation mode. I think more lives could be saved by urging drivers to carry emergency safety equipment such as a fire extinguisher, a travel first aid kit and a lifehammer to break a window and let the kids escape if the doors are jammed in an accident.

Next I read a story that shows the rise in CCTV cameras monitoring our kids in school has reached epidemic proportions with several schools boasting a camera to pupil ratio approaching 1 for every 6 kids. Even the school toilets that last bastion of privacy have succumbed to the official pupil snooper. The Heads at these schools defend their blanket surveillance strategy as essential to prevent misbehaviour and vandalism. They may need reminding that due to EU human rights excesses the day has long gone when our children held the slightest fear of retribution for doing anything wrong.

To cap it all another article reported that atmospheric Carbon Dioxide levels have “shot up” by 2.5 ppm to 390 or so. The climate change doom mongers are never that hot on detail or margins of error but how convenient are the findings with the Kyoto climate change conference just weeks away. Smoking a cigarette creates carbon dioxide as does a car but not I suspect as much as manufacturing CCTV cameras.

Winter Nights – Safety Driving

Once again our politicians at Westminster have bowed to the Scottish lobby and missed another opportunity to ditch the ludicrous time warp that is Daylight Saving Time which now plunges us all into darkness by 4pm. I dislike driving in the dark at the best of times but in deep winter with any combination of ice, snow, fog and rain the commute home is even more hazardous and stressful.

Traffic death rates are three times greater at night, yet many of us are unaware of the hazards that night driving poses or effective ways to minimise the risk. It is therefore all the more important to prepare for your journey and take sensible safety precautions to protect you and your passengers.

Start out by ensuring the vehicle is roadworthy. Check for blown bulbs, check tyre pressures and oil levels, fill the screen wash tanks and check the cabin demist is working.
When driving at night follow these tips on safer driving

• Use your lights responsibly – Turn headlights on one hour before sunset and leave on for at least half an hour after sunrise to make it easier for other drivers to see you in early twilight. Use your high beams sparingly at all times but in fog use low beam headlights in conjunction with fog lamps if you have them.

• Avoid glare – Don’t look directly at oncoming headlights and use the day night shift on the rear view mirror to prevent glare from following traffic.

• Keep all windows and headlights clean – Dirty windows diffuse light and can increase glare, making it more difficult to see, while dirty headlights can reduce efficiency by as much as 90 percent.

• Be alert – Look for flashes of light at hilltops, curves and junctions that may indicate the headlights of approaching vehicles.

• Increase your following distance – Increasing your distance by four to five seconds can make it easier to spot potential problems on the roadway and give you more time to react safely.

• Avoid fatigue - Night driving can be tiring, so on long journeys ensure good ventilation inside the cabin, and take frequent refreshment breaks to give your eyes a chance to recover. Take a short nap or a brisk walk, or have some caffeine to help you stay alert.

• Glasses- Anti-reflective (AR) coating reduces internal reflections in the lenses. AR-coated glasses also transmit more light than regular lenses which can improve vision at night.

Finally if we have anything like the winter of last year you should also consider equipping the car with a winter survival pack to get you out of trouble should you break down or become stranded.
Carry at least one reflective warning triangle in case of a vehicle breakdown, so you are as visible to other drivers as possible.  A snow shovel and small tub of icemelt is a must to escape from drifts and icy roads. To sustain body and mind having warm weather proof clothing, rugged rigger boots, a blanket, thermos and a supply of high energy food would be a potential lifesaver.

If you have more tips for our readers then let us know.

Safety Tips for Bonfire Night

Fawkes Night on November 5th is an ancient tradition originally intended as a celebration of the failure of Guy Fawkes and his co-conspirators to blow up Parliament and King James I in particular. Although the history is largely forgotten, taking the opportunity to gather the family round a blazing fire and watch a fire work display is still popular. Fire Safety is paramount and many accidents can be avoided by good preparation and some common sense. Here are some tips to ensure an enjoyable and safe bonfire night.

• First of all consider attending an organised event rather than risking your safety by having a garden bonfire.
• If you do have a home bonfire warn your neighbour’s beforehand as a courtesy or better still invite them to the party, so they are less likely to complain.
• It’s a good idea to wear protective clothing if you are in charge of the fire. Flame retardant Overalls, sturdy boots and flame resistant leather rigger gloves are inexpensive safeguards and are useful the year round.
• Only burn dry material as damp fuel generates more smoke and never burn plastics or car tyres as they can produce highly toxic gases.
• Build your bonfire away from sheds, timber fences, trees and any overhanging cables or telephone wires
• Use firelighters to get the fire going. Petrol and paraffin may flare up and can get out of control quickly
• Use a fire bucket filled with sand to light your fireworks and launch rockets.  At the end of the night the sand can be used to smother the fire.
• Have a water fire extinguisher handy or a connected garden hose with a spray attachment nearby in case of emergencies
• Set up a cordon to keep children well away from the bonfire
• Don’t throw any fireworks into the fire even if you believe they are spent
• Sparklers are fun but can be dangerous to small children. Always supervise them and provide a bucket of water to dunk the spent sparklers after use.

Laws governing fireworks
You should also be aware that there are Laws governing the use of fireworks. Breaking these laws can result in fines of up to a £5000 and 3 month imprisonment.
For Bonfire night fireworks can only be sold to adults over 18 years of age and only between the 15th October and the 10th November.
It is an offence to set off fireworks in the street or public places without a licence. If caught the police can give you an on-the-spot fine of £80
Even on Bonfire night and the nights surrounding this date fireworks must not be set off after midnight.

Finally don’t be tempted to buy cheap fireworks from “out of the back of a van” dealers and temporary unlicenced shops. Look for fireworks marked BS 7114 or a “CE” mark that shows the fireworks meet British or European safety standards.

Have a safe bonfire night. If you have any further tips or can recommend good organised events let our readers know.

Anagrams to make Fire Rife

Take a break from updating your fire risk assessment to exercise your mental agility and solve the following anagrams. The answers are all fire and safety related products and I have added a cryptic suffix to point you in the right direction.

“Heel Sores” sprayed with these?
“Fertile Bank” is maybe covered with this?
“A Scalded Peer” may need one of these to leave The Lords.
“Rip off foes ear” and put in here to stop it burning.
“Thin Sexier Figure” but an annual service is mandatory.

If you are stumped follow the links for the answers. If you can come up with any more Anagrams on the same theme to test our readers let us know.

Ionization smoke detectors versus Photo-electric smoke detectors

There is an old adage that says if it happens in America it is only a matter of time before it happens here in the UK.  If that holds true it could spell the eventual death knell for Ionization type smoke alarms.

In recent months there has been a groundswell of opinion in the States for the phasing out of Ionization alarms for use in residential homes in favour of Photo-electric smoke detectors.

Visually it is not that easy to distinguish the two types but Ionization alarms, often marked with an “I” on the bottom, detect smoke using an electric charge. The smoke particles interrupt this charge triggering the alarm. The more expensive and less common Photo-electric alarms, marked with a “P” on the base, use a beam of light to detect smoke, and rarely produce false alarms.

The anti Ionisation lobby in the States quotes several studies from as far away as Australia that contend ionization smoke detectors are slower to respond to dangerous smouldering fires than photoelectric smoke detectors. These studies also indicate that as Ionisation smoke detectors are so prone to give off false alarms, for example in response to steam or cooking fumes, that as many as 25% of homeowners disable them with potential tragic consequences for life safety. So successful has the lobby been that several cities and a handful of States across the US have already mandated that only photoelectric smoke alarms be used in houses.

Interestingly when a friend of mine took advantage of a free home fire safety audit by his local Fire and Rescue services they fitted three smoke detectors around the house. In the room adjacent the kitchen is an Optical type alarm that detects active flaming fires more quickly than Photo-electric technology whereas in the living area and on the landings they fitted Photo-electric Alarms which suggests the FRS consider both types have their uses. The key issue and one supported by the device manufacturers are to position them correctly. It makes no sense to fit either type actually within the kitchen area as cooking fumes and even gas flame hobs may generate a false alarm.