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FIRE SERVICE AND GENERAL FIRE SAFETY TOPICS => Fire Safety => Topic started by: William 29 on November 20, 2014, 08:34:26 AM
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Interesting read.
http://salfordonline.com/localnews_page/53359-nine_escape_monton_mill_gartden_flat_fire_in_eccles.html
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The summary of the report in the Salford Online site is that nine people escaped the Monton Mill Gardens flat fire in Eccles
Nine residents were evacuated from their homes in the early hours after a fire in a block of flats in Eccles. Thankfully smoke alarms operated to give them an early warning, as black, acrid smoke started to fill the lobby of the three storey-building. Firefighters were called to Monton Mill Gardens at around 2.30am and on arrival found residents making their way from the building. Watch Manager Terry Hand said: "It was a significant fire in the lobby. Luckily everyone escaped unhurt but it could have been really serious.
"Someone woke up after they heard a loud bang and smoke alarms started sounding. That helped to alert residents. "It had the potential to be a much more serious incident, so it was fortunate there were smoke alarms fitted."
The fire is believed to have been caused by an short circuit in the electric intake box in the lobby of the ground floor. Hand added: "As firefighters carried out a search and fought the fire, the staircase became very smoke logged. The electric casing had created black, toxic smoke. "They worked very quickly to bring the fire under control and then ventilated the property rapidly which helped to limit the smoke damage caused."
Many thanks to Salford online, its an interesting story illustrating the potential of electricity intake equipment to create serious fires and underpins the guidance in ADB to enclose the equipment in fire resisting construction if it has to be in the staircase at all. But would the residents actually have been safer to stay in their flats until the incident had been dealt with? Was it the fire fighting operations that caused the staircase to be temporarily affected by smoke? Was the smoke ventilation manual or automatic? It sounds as though it worked well.
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Kurnal I've had many discussions on LinkedIn with fire alarm salesmen and they'll seize on this to promote the benefits of installing detection in the common areas of purpose built flats without looking at any facts. I'll gird my loins for a fresh battle when this comes to their attention.
Having taken a look at Google street-view the flats are two and three storey and reasonably modern so its difficult to understand why the intake wasn't enclosed however it was possibly enclosed but left open and full of junk mail and discarded electrical items/wrapping as we so often find. In my opinion it would be much better for the residents to stay where they were and they were definitely put in danger by evacuating through a smoke filled staircase.
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Yup I was right they've already started on this one!!
Unfortunately the FIA seem to be promoting the idea that communal alarms are helpful in this respect even though it appears that the alarms actually send residents from a place of safety to a place of potentially fatal consequences. The FIA members have to get some benefit for the annual subs I suppose - lets all get on the detection in common parts bandwagon before we miss out.
http://www.fia.uk.com/en/information/details/index.cfm/smoke-alarms-enable-residents-to-flee-smoke-logged-block-of-flats
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Thanks Golden for the useful tip. I am attending a post tender interview next week and I will dress as you suggest. Might score me a few extra brownie points with the client.
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You have to judge each common area on its own merits, free from combustibles, no storage in meter cupboards, electrical testing up to date etc.
I wouldn't recommend enclosing in FR in all cases in every FRA as a policy approach.
If there is no AFD in the common areas the residents would most likely be unaware there was an incident, I assume there was AFD and this alerted residents and it has been poorly reported as smoke detectors saving the day?
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I agree William but why couldn't the fire servicee give a clear and succinct explanation as you just have?
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The fire officer providing the quote is ex fire safety, so not sure why?
I think the fire alarm industry will enjoy this one and there will be a few more common fire alarms going in as a result.
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Silver, Can you enlighten me as to where the FIA bulletin to which you refer promotes FD&A in common parts. It merely reproduces a news article, which in turn quotes the F&RS statement verbatim. As you know F&RS officers are the experts on everything from quantum mechanics to advanced level hot air, so I respectfully suggest that the facts are as outlined with no promotion of fire detection, other than as implied by the newspaper report of what a fire officer is said to have said.
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Its a news report so start on the basis that none of the facts are correct and you'll probably be right.
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Smoke alarms enable residents to flee smoke-logged block of flats (FIA) Vs Eccles residents evacuated after early morning fire (GMFRS original source as per FIA story)
Granted 'promoting' may be a bit strong but it certainly puts a spin on the original story - I may not know too much about quantum mechanics, I always found it a bit of a Bohr, but I can research articles ;)
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Nine residents were evacuated from their homes in the early hours after a fire in a block of flats in Eccles. Thankfully smoke alarms operated to give them an early warning.-newspaper report
It had the potential to be a much more serious incident, so it was fortunate there were smoke alarms fitted-fire brigade spokesperson.
Cant see why reporting these sentiments improperly promotes AFD
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Nine residents were evacuated from their homes in the early hours after a fire in a block of flats in Eccles. Thankfully smoke alarms operated to give them an early warning.-newspaper report
It had the potential to be a much more serious incident, so it was fortunate there were smoke alarms fitted-fire brigade spokesperson.
Cant see why reporting these sentiments improperly promotes AFD
There were battery operated smokes fitted in the common areas by the residents.
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Wullie, I am not clear as to what point you are making.
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The report read to me like the smokes in the common areas had saved the day as they alerted the residents.
The building and property management company are known to me and they are thinking of installing common AFD as a result or at least questioning why there are no smoke detectors in the other blocks.
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Wullie, I can see that, but the point I was making was that the FIA were merely reiterating what the FRS supposedly said, and were not promoting anything. Old Silver is such a conspiracy theorist.
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Infamy ... Infamy
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Wasn't the guy who made that line famous gay, Silver?