nick205
|
 posted on 11/11/10 at 10:42 AM |
|
|
Thumbs Up for Hampshire Fire Service
Just wanted to share a very positive experience with our local Fire Service.
Via my kids school the Fire Service were offering free home safety checks including fitting new 10yr smoke alarms free of charge. I took up the offer
and last night received a visit from the local boys - in a fire engine! (shame the kids were fast asleep). They were on active duty and ready for a
"shout" at any time, hence being in the fire engine. Needless to say the neighbours started appearing to see what was going on 
Anyhow, 2 guys came in, one quickly surveyed the property and fitted 2 brand new sealed unit smoke alarms top and bottom of the stairs. He also
removed the old ones and disposed of them.
The 2nd guy talked me through risk areas including a recommendation not to run the dishwasher, washing machine and tumble dryer over night as these
are the most likely appliances to cause a fire - not something I'd considered before. More importanty and the bit I found most useful was
developing an escape plan in case of fire. All common sense, but good to recap things like...
1. Have a plan that the whole family are aware of
2. Know you routes out
3. Always stick together
4. Leave with nothing but people
5. Don't hamper yourself having to search for keys in the dark
6. How to escape from the first floor as safely as possible - i.e. biggest/strongest out first, by hanging from the window ledge and dropping to the
ground, then 2nd biggest/strongest lowers any kids down to the first.
One very interesting point he made was the most common scenario is for people to jump unecessarily from higher floors and break limbs when they could
have safely stayed put and been evacuated by the Fire Service on arrival.
Bearing in mind this was all free and organised via the school as a proven way of reaching householders I'm very impressed with the whole thing.
Tax payer's money being well spent IMHO.
Good Work Chaps! 
|
|
|
|
|
chrisxr2
|
| posted on 11/11/10 at 10:48 AM |
|
|
sounds good
sounds like a useful service. Was your missus pleased they came round,mine goes all gooey at the sight of firemen in uniform.
Life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
|
|
|
carpmart
|
| posted on 11/11/10 at 10:50 AM |
|
|
The escape plan is very important!
Ignoring personal possessions is also vital. Anything irreplaceable I have put in a fireproof box, birth certificates, passport, bank details, deeds
etc. These boxes are not particularly expensive and if you ever had a fire and they were damaged, you get a replacement box FOC!
You only live once - make the most of it!
Radical Clubsport, Kwaker motor
'94 MX5 MK1, 1.8
F10 M5 - 600bhp Daily Hack 
Range Rover Sport - Wife's Car
Mercedes A class - Son's Car
|
|
|
mcerd1
|
| posted on 11/11/10 at 10:54 AM |
|
|
I got offered something similar after next door had a fairly major fire (minus the free smoke alarms)
but the really reasuring thing was the first engine turned up in less than 10 min
(and we don't have any full time crews here at all )
[Edited on 11/11/2010 by mcerd1]
-
|
|
|
graememk
|
| posted on 11/11/10 at 11:04 AM |
|
|
Graeme wonders how long the batterys will last in those 10 years smoke dectectors.
|
|
|
nick205
|
| posted on 11/11/10 at 11:07 AM |
|
|
quote:
Originally posted by chrisxr2
sounds like a useful service. Was your missus pleased they came round,mine goes all gooey at the sight of firemen in uniform.
She was until she realised she was working late last night - ha ha 
|
|
|
nick205
|
| posted on 11/11/10 at 11:08 AM |
|
|
quote:
Originally posted by graememk
Graeme wonders how long the batterys will last in those 10 years smoke dectectors.
Good question and personally I'd think about replacing at 5 years myself!
|
|
|
graememk
|
| posted on 11/11/10 at 11:25 AM |
|
|
quote:
Originally posted by nick205
quote:
Originally posted by graememk
Graeme wonders how long the batterys will last in those 10 years smoke dectectors.
Good question and personally I'd think about replacing at 5 years myself!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-11692307
|
|
|
balidey
|
| posted on 11/11/10 at 11:36 AM |
|
|
quote:
The Chinese made alarms were bought as part of a national purchasing arrangement and have the British Standard Kite Mark
Oh dear. Those two words I hate to see next to each other..... 'Chinese' and 'made'. I regularly test products made in China.
Supposedly as good as any other sourced items, even with test certificates sometimes. Way too many failed products for my liking. But in something
like this, a life saving piece of equipment. We buy cheap crap from China when personally I would rather pay more for stuff that works.
Dutch bears have terrible skin due to their clogged paws
|
|
|
nick205
|
| posted on 11/11/10 at 12:16 PM |
|
|
quote:
Originally posted by graememk
quote:
Originally posted by nick205
quote:
Originally posted by graememk
Graeme wonders how long the batterys will last in those 10 years smoke dectectors.
Good question and personally I'd think about replacing at 5 years myself!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-11692307
Indeed, they did mention this issue with the previous design of unit they'd been fitting in homes. The units they fitted for us were (according
to them) of a new design, tested by the Fire Service themselves. They also gave instructions for testing and maintaining (cleaning) the unit to
ensure best service from them. The units themselves are sealed - i.e. no replaceable battery - as too many homes have alarms fitted, but disabled.
|
|
|
stevepj
|
| posted on 11/11/10 at 12:20 PM |
|
|
We've been carrying out this service in Greater Manchester for the past couple of years now, and yes the alarms supplied at first were dodgy, we
are still replacing them now. They beep if the temperature drops below 5 degree c, or if fitted to near to electrical cables and low energy light
bulbs
Then just to compound matters, the factory where they were made burnt down
I think we are all on Fire Angel detectors now.
The advice part is very valuable, a couple of years ago we turned out to a fire in the communal hallway in a three storey block of flats, ground,
first and second floors. The fire was on the ground floor and yet a woman in her early twenties decided that she would jump straight legged from a
second floor window onto the concrete path below, not very pretty and she has never walked again since. Mind you it was a Friday night and people do
some daft things when they've had a drink!
|
|
|
steve m
|
| posted on 11/11/10 at 01:00 PM |
|
|
Also, how many of you guys have fire/smoke alarms in the garage ??
I do now after a garage fire in my garage back in July this year
And the fire brigade guys were brilliant, and real good fun,, (after they dealt with the fire !!)
We did get out of the house, just me and wife, we also got evreyone out of both next door neighbours
i also moved my tin top to a layby to offer better access
We were i say commended, but that is a ttad strong, on that we did everything possible to prevent a nasty accident
This is somthing i never want to see or be around again, it is extremley stressfull, and upsetting
But no lives were risked,
regards
Steve
|
|
|
Steve Hignett
|
| posted on 11/11/10 at 01:08 PM |
|
|
No. I have not clicked the pathetic FaceBum button, just liked the OP...
|
|
|
02GF74
|
| posted on 11/11/10 at 02:10 PM |
|
|
they miseed out
6. rush to garage and grab 2 most expensive moutniang bikes, one under each arm ...
did he suggest having a family practise drill at random times in the day as well as night?
all fine and dandy having some common sense rle plan but that all goes to pot when your jimjams are smouldering...
then there is the Hawkwind approach:
Remember, in the case of Fire, Survival means every man for himself.
Statistically more people survive if they think only of themselves.
Do not attempt to rescue friends, relatives, loved ones, bicycles
You have only a few seconds to escape.
Use those seconds sensibly or you will inevitably die.
Do not panic.
Think only of yourself....
You can help none else.
|
|
|
steve m
|
| posted on 11/11/10 at 02:13 PM |
|
|
I was in a pair of boxers, when my wife shouted upstairs to me she could smell burning
Steve
|
|
|
mcerd1
|
| posted on 11/11/10 at 02:21 PM |
|
|
quote:
Originally posted by steve m
I was in a pair of boxers, when my wife shouted upstairs to me she could smell burning
Steve
I wasn't even wearing that much when next door cought fire at 10 to midnight
-
|
|
|
02GF74
|
| posted on 11/11/10 at 03:02 PM |
|
|
quote:
Originally posted by steve m
I was in a pair of boxes, when my wife shouted upstairs to me she could smell burning
some sort of magician act gone terribly wrong?
|
|
|
gavin174
|
| posted on 11/11/10 at 03:25 PM |
|
|
having suffered a pretty bad house fire this year....
the best advise I can give is shut all doors at night.....
we would have been able to save quite a bit more if we had shut the doors...
http://www.essexkitcarclub.com
|
|
|
nick205
|
| posted on 11/11/10 at 03:43 PM |
|
|
quote:
Originally posted by stevepj
We've been carrying out this service in Greater Manchester for the past couple of years now, and yes the alarms supplied at first were dodgy, we
are still replacing them now. They beep if the temperature drops below 5 degree c, or if fitted to near to electrical cables and low energy light
bulbs
Then just to compound matters, the factory where they were made burnt down
I think we are all on Fire Angel detectors now.
It's the Fire Angel ones we've had fitted - good to hear other areas are running the same scheme too.
|
|
|
nick205
|
| posted on 11/11/10 at 03:45 PM |
|
|
quote:
Originally posted by gavin174
having suffered a pretty bad house fire this year....
the best advise I can give is shut all doors at night.....
we would have been able to save quite a bit more if we had shut the doors...
Good point and one of the other advice items given last night.
I was surprised when he commented that even a standard internal door can give as much as 15 mins extra time.
|
|
|
scootz
|
| posted on 11/11/10 at 05:30 PM |
|
|
Blimey... that'll be a first! Fire-Fighters entering someone's house and leaving it in the same-state they found it in!
Those boys sure like to demolish stuff!
Anyway - a good thing all round... peoples houses are a bit safer and we're not paying wages for folk to watch TV or play snooker! 
It's Evolution Baby!
|
|
|
dinosaurjuice
|
| posted on 11/11/10 at 08:41 PM |
|
|
my neighbour works for fire service fitting these alarms and giving talks etc. according to him the old type alarm were 10 years from manufacture,
whereas the new type have a plastic tab you pull out when fitting which 'activates' them. big problems in lancashire too with the old type
beeping away after 3-4 years in house 
|
|
|
