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!

sounds like a useful service. Was your missus pleased they came round,mine goes all gooey at the sight of firemen in uniform.

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!

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]

Graeme wonders how long the batterys will last in those 10 years smoke dectectors.

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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.

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Originally posted by graememk
Graeme wonders how long the batterys will last in those 10 years smoke dectectors.

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Originally posted by nick205

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Originally posted by graememk
Graeme wonders how long the batterys will last in those 10 years smoke dectectors.

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Good question and personally I'd think about replacing at 5 years myself!

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The Chinese made alarms were bought as part of a national purchasing arrangement and have the British Standard Kite Mark

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Originally posted by graememk

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Originally posted by nick205

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Originally posted by graememk
Graeme wonders how long the batterys will last in those 10 years smoke dectectors.

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Good question and personally I'd think about replacing at 5 years myself!

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-11692307

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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!

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

No. I have not clicked the pathetic FaceBum button, just liked the OP...

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.

I was in a pair of boxers, when my wife shouted upstairs to me she could smell burning

Steve

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Originally posted by steve m
I was in a pair of boxers, when my wife shouted upstairs to me she could smell burning

Steve

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Originally posted by steve m
I was in a pair of boxes, when my wife shouted upstairs to me she could smell burning

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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...

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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.

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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...

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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!

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