Water based extinguishers in common areas of sheltered accomodation?

[lancsfirepro]

Okay; this is worrying. I'm hereby tendering my resignation to this forum.
Good luck.

[kurnal]

Hey Gareth no need to resign just looking to explore and understand  the issues through discussion! If I am wrong or using false logic  please tell me why! I find that so many who repeat this message have never given the principles a second thought.  On the other had a little knowlege is a dangerous thing.

[colin todd]

Now see what you've done Big Al.  I may have to instigate a bring back Gazza campaign, as if I don't have enough to do.  On the other hand, Firenet is like Hotel California (Eagles, Big Al-think of them as the George Formby of your era), you can  checkout any time you like but you can never leave.  I've never been sure what colitas are, but is it anything to do with coal, Gazza?

[kurnal]

"Responsible persons and potential users should be made aware that electrical equipment needs to be switched off before any extinguisher is discharged onto it." (BS5306-8 2012.)

To build on my earlier point this must be much more critical in a commercial kitchen environment where there is a much higher likelihood of contact with earth bonded stainless steel surfaces and wet hard floor surfaces than in an office with a nice dry carpeted floor and lots of soft or timber furnishings.

As for Dottys Colitas perhaps indulgence has addled the memory cells?

[Dinnertime Dave]

Oh man, I pray each day for a definitive answer.

I am at present overseeing remedial works from 13 Fire Risk Assessors on a national contract for owned sheltered housing, rented sheltered housing & various levels of nursing & care homes
All have been on the same course at the same time and all have come out with differing opinions.
And once scattered across the countryside, their differing assessment for hand portables in communal areas of sheltered housing is driving me nuts.
Some want class A cover. Some want class A removing and replacing with CO2. Some say the hand portable is just to cover the exit route, some say it is to cover the occupancies too. Some just want 'work areas' covering. Some want everything covering. One even wants 4kg Dry Powders installing as a multi-purpose option.

I actually gave up & advised they carte blanche fit Wet Chemical Extinguishers in all corridors, kitchens & communal areas (Not as daft as it sounds as most these days are A, B, F & 1kv safe on electrics). They could then argue what exactly they were covering at a later date but at least nationally we would then have some parity.

Legislation & advice documents are no help either (3 x conflicting ones on the same government web site for pities sake)

I also feel for the assessors. Remove hand portables and you get dragged across the tabloids branded as a nanny state idiot. Leave them in and you get the potential 'untrained operatives' litigation banana skin thrown in your path.

And to cap it all, a recent fire in the flat of a sheltered housing scheme in Ipswich (earmarked for extinguisher removal in corridors) resulted in the attending fire brigade assessing the situation as requiring a more rapid response than dragging their lay flat kit up 3 floors, breaking in the flat door and using two hand portables from the corridor outside the flat to extinguish the fire and rescue the occupant.
Would the extra few minutes made a difference to the guy breathing in the muck the fire was producing?

It scares me that one advice document wishes removal of hand portables from corridors but states that if the occupant feels that there is a risk, they should buy their own extinguisher.
Hang on a minute......In this scenario a tenant is a trained fire risk assessor with full training on hand portable extinguisher usage when stood on their side of the front door but when they walk out onto the communally shared corridor they suddenly become a blithering imbecile.

Definitive answer ?.............I wish.

Not that difficult to get the definitive answers. Why doesn't the housing provider join a Primary Authority Scheme.

[The Reiver]

All have been on the same course at the same time and all have come out with differing opinions.

Is that literally the case Reiver? It would be interesting to know what level of training that was and whether all attended the same course delivered at the same centre. Nevertheless a key outcome is that before embarking on a project of this nature it pays dividends to bring all the assessors together and set out the technical standards to be adopted for the client in question. Then if your standards are questioned later you can set out a uniform and well argued strategy. You will win your case .

Yes sir, that is literally the case. All contracted in at the same time by the one company and all attended the same course before being despatched to their designated areas in England.

[colin todd]

Come back, Gazza the Coal and forgive Big Al, for he knows not what he does.

[jayjay]

The attached document gives advice on portable extinguishers and electrical fire fighting, bit old now but still relevant I think.

[AnthonyB]

Toes the party line, the FIA is a trade association at the end of the day and the trade feature on the BS Committees.

I'll have to dig out the Fire Research Station, British Rail & Faraday Laboratories stuff that says the opposite!

It's like the p50, there will always be people on both sides of the debate.

[colin todd]

Gazza the Coal has closed down home station, Big Al.  How are you going to turn him out again.