Comments on: Students learn the hard way http://www.fireandsafetycentre.co.uk/articles/students-learn-the-hard-way/ Just another WordPress weblog Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:24:43 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.4 By: admin http://www.fireandsafetycentre.co.uk/articles/students-learn-the-hard-way/comment-page-1/#comment-4226 admin Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:37:28 +0000 http://www.fireandsafetycentre.co.uk/articles/?p=302#comment-4226 On the student accomodation front i confess my comment was borne out my own experience when attending Stirling Campus and temporarily at Durham. Lets hope Colin is right and things have improved although I did have some of my tongue in my cheek when penning the piece. I did not seek to infer that the Student was right to try and tackle the fire and specifically wrote that "if the fire has spread to other combustibles the best course of action is to raise the alarm, get out fast and call the emergency services". I have to concede that placing rather than throwing a fire blanket is preferable but in the heat of the moment (pardon the pun) the distinction might be mute on the person doing the placing. I did state however that "This is absolutely OK if the fire is confined to the pan" and in that respect agree entirely with the comment. The issue raised on fire extinguishers and training is perhaps the most important point made as it really calls into question the whole justification for installing fire extinguishers. Instructions on how to operate any type of fire extinguisher are printed on the canister and if the Legislation and Codes of Practice are followed also on a separate sign placed adjacent the unit. The Fire Safety order also calls for adequate training but in a campus environment it is clearly not easy to do and some will train more easily than others. It has been argued that the very act of providing extinguishers puts lives at risk as it invites the untrained to tackle a fire. Extinguishers should only be used to tackle small fires but where you draw the distinction between large and small is an arbitrary judgement at best. This debate will run and run but on balance the official statistics do show that fire extinguishers play an important role in fire protection and have prevented many small fires from taking hold. They also contribute to ensuring safe evacuation of a building. Maybe as part of a students induction the University could present one of the Fire Safety Training programmes available on this site on DVD which contain video of how to use a fire extinguisher safely. Tony On the student accomodation front i confess my comment was borne out my own experience when attending Stirling Campus and temporarily at Durham. Lets hope Colin is right and things have improved although I did have some of my tongue in my cheek when penning the piece.
I did not seek to infer that the Student was right to try and tackle the fire and specifically wrote that “if the fire has spread to other combustibles the best course of action is to raise the alarm, get out fast and call the emergency services”. I have to concede that placing rather than throwing a fire blanket is preferable but in the heat of the moment (pardon the pun) the distinction might be mute on the person doing the placing. I did state however that “This is absolutely OK if the fire is confined to the pan” and in that respect agree entirely with the comment.

The issue raised on fire extinguishers and training is perhaps the most important point made as it really calls into question the whole justification for installing fire extinguishers.
Instructions on how to operate any type of fire extinguisher are printed on the canister and if the Legislation and Codes of Practice are followed also on a separate sign placed adjacent the unit. The Fire Safety order also calls for adequate training but in a campus environment it is clearly not easy to do and some will train more easily than others. It has been argued that the very act of providing extinguishers puts lives at risk as it invites the untrained to tackle a fire.
Extinguishers should only be used to tackle small fires but where you draw the distinction between large and small is an arbitrary judgement at best. This debate will run and run but on balance the official statistics do show that fire extinguishers play an important role in fire protection and have prevented many small fires from taking hold. They also contribute to ensuring safe evacuation of a building. Maybe as part of a students induction the University could present one of the Fire Safety Training programmes available on this site on DVD which contain video of how to use a fire extinguisher safely.
Tony

]]> By: Colin Campbell http://www.fireandsafetycentre.co.uk/articles/students-learn-the-hard-way/comment-page-1/#comment-4225 Colin Campbell Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:46:07 +0000 http://www.fireandsafetycentre.co.uk/articles/?p=302#comment-4225 I would like to make the following observations; 1. It is not right to say that most student accommodation is like a changing cubicle. The standard of accommodation varies considerably. 2. The way that the article is written would indicate that the individual took the right action. He did not and it should have been clearly underlined that when a fire has spread beyond the pan of fat, it should not be tackled. 3. When using a fire blanket, it should not be thrown over the pan but placed over it and the heating element turned off. 4. By saying that he may have had more success with a wet chemical extinguisher there is an inference that he should have fought the fire, which without training would not have beed safe. I would like to make the following observations;
1. It is not right to say that most student accommodation is like a changing cubicle. The standard of accommodation varies considerably.
2. The way that the article is written would indicate that the individual took the right action. He did not and it should have been clearly underlined that when a fire has spread beyond the pan of fat, it should not be tackled.
3. When using a fire blanket, it should not be thrown over the pan but placed over it and the heating element turned off.
4. By saying that he may have had more success with a wet chemical extinguisher there is an inference that he should have fought the fire, which without training would not have beed safe.

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