Advantages of Foam Fire Extinguishers

Foam fire extinguishers, or more correctly AFFF extinguishers offer some key advantages over the better known water equivalents. AFFF is short for Aqueous Film Forming Foam and, although it contains water as a primary element, when applied to a Class A fire involving combustible solids Foam extinguishers not only cool the burning material but also form a chemical barrier or film that separates the flames from the airborne oxygen necessary to support combustion.

Weight for weight AFFF is a substantially more effective fire suppressant than water. A 6 litre foam fire extinguisher has the same fire rating as a 9 litre water both of which carry a 13A approval. The net difference in weight is close to 4kg or 9lbs in old money. Certainly for commercial offices, businesses and residential blocks this provides an opportunity to utilise this advantage to install more manageable lighter weight units without compromising on fire safety.

There is also a cost saving to be gained by opting for a foam extinguisher as at the time of going to press our standard 6 litre foam fire extinguisher is just £22.50 compared to £25.25 for the 9 litre water as a high proportion of the ex- works cost is in the canister itself.

If weight and cost and saving were not enough unlike water the film forming properties of AFFF foam extinguishers make them highly effective at combatting Class B flammable liquid fires, typically petrol, diesel , paints and solvents. A 6 litre foam fire extinguisher has an impressive 144B rating. This added versatility makes them ideal for garages and petrol forecourts and they are the extinguisher of choice for motor sports in general. On a much larger scale AFFF foam is also used extensively at airports applied from large mobile extinguishers or tenders to form a fire suppressive blanket.

Boat, caravan and recreational vehicle owners can also take advantage of this versatility with models now available in 1 and 2 litre capacities.

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.

10 things to do for safety in the home

1. Fit smoke alarms – the simplest and cheapest safeguard to give early warning of a fire, prevent a major fire developing and give you time to get you and the kids to a safe place. Fire safety in the home contains essential advice on what and where to fit.

2. Ensure you have adequate home contents insurance. It’s cheaper than you think and is even cheaper if you combine with buildings insurance, have an intruder alarm, lockable windows and a good no claims record.

3. Gather all your important documents together including passports and put them in a secure place – a decent quality home safe preferably with fire resistance or a fire safe security cash box is ideal. Be sure to bolt it down to something solid to thwart the opportunist thief.

4. Reduce nuisance phone calls that invariably come in the middle of the evening meal by registering with the Telephone Preference Service at www.tpsonline.org.uk or call 0800 398 893. This only works for UK organisations and takes about a month for these calls to stop. Unfortunately some other unwanted calls are more difficult to stop.

5. Put a No Cold Callers sign on the gate – they used to say No Hawkers in my day but the effect is the same in preventing hard sell salesman and dubious religious disciples arriving at your back door. You can download a No Cold – Callers sign from www.moneysavingexpert.com/nocallers

6. Invest in a fire blanket and ABF or Wet Chemical fire extinguisher for the kitchen where 75% of all home fires start. Make sure everyone in the house knows where they are kept and how to use them.

7. Draw up a Fire Action Plan with the whole family to agree what to do in the event of a fire and who should do it.

8. If you have lockable windows that may provide a means of escape make sure there is a release key in every habitable room. Obviously don’t leave in full view on the windowsill or in the lock.

9. If your family needs to access the house at different times rather than have several duplicate main door keys install a key safe box by the door. It’s far safer than leaving a key “under the mat” or risking being locked out should a key go missing.

10. Of course even with the best planning and good intentions tragedies will still happen so make a Will to save your family the hassle and expense of a protracted Probate. If you have young ones discuss and agree who you would want to be their future Guardians if the worst happens and include in the Will or separate legal statement.

If you have any further suggestions on actions to make home life worry free let us know.

Winter safety, be prepared for another harsh winter

A week ago we were basking in wall to wall sunshine and temperatures of 30 degrees centigrade but now forecasters are warning that we should expect freezing temperatures and snow within weeks. The first snow falls have already arrived in Scotland with temperatures an astonishing 21C below last weekend’s highs.

La Niña is a natural phenomenon characterize by an unusual drop in sea temperatures off the western seaboard of Central America and is widely attributed as contributing, if not  causing, last year’s freakish weather witnessed across the World including devastating floods in Australia and our freezing winter.  Well be warned, La Niña is back again this year so our government machine, transport authorities, rail and airport companies are all making frantic provision to avoid a repeat of the national gridlock and economic paralysis that we all endured last year.

We also want to ensure our customers are prepared by taking action now to stock up on essential winter beating products. Don’t wait until the snow is on the ground as the combination of high demand and disruption to transport links makes availability and our usual prompt delivery less of a certainty.

Here’s a checklist of must have winter safety products to keep you moving and prevent accidents to staff and family alike

• Grit and Salt Bins for businesses particularly those with car parks and walkways
• Quality white sludge free De-Icing Salt in any quantity from 15kg to 28 x 25kg pallets
• Salt and Grit Spreaders for domestic and commercial users
• Snow scoops for clearing drives and paths
• Snow shovels for digging out cars and snow clearance on smaller areas
• In car snow shovel for emergencies
• Promelt de-icer for super fast long lasting deicing on steps, entrances and walkways.

All these products are in stock now so don’t be caught napping this winter.