400 animals rescued from fire
Firefighters from Devon attended a fire at a farm in Newton Abbot on Monday evening.
The fire broke out at around 9pm yesterday. Firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze and rescue around 400 hundred animals including 200 ducklings, 150 ducks, 40 piglets and 3 dogs!
Two crews from Newton Abbot, two crews from Torquay and a Water Carrier from Torquay attended the fire.
Luckily no animals were injured in the fire.
Hospital A&E closed after fire
A fire which closed the emergency department of a Derbyshire hospital was caused by a fault in a drinks’ fridge, fire investigators have said.
The fire which broke out in the emergency department of a Derbyshire hospital on Saturday night is thought to have been caused by a fault in a fridge in the hospital newsagents.
The emergency department in the Chesterfield Royal Hospital was closed and patients were taken to nearby hospitals in Sheffield, Derby, and Nottingham.
The incident was attended by 10 engines and it took 60 firefighters until after midnight to put out the fire.
Although the hospital is open again, the Accident and Emergency departments and fracture clinic suffered serious smoke and fire damage.
Eric Morton from the hospital said: “We are facing long-term disruption particularly in the main entrance, where thousands of patients book in for their appointments each day. We will try to ensure services run as smoothly as possible, we realise there will be some inconvenience.”
Half of UK fire deaths happened in buildings fitted with fire alarms
A recent report has shown that around 80% of buildings in the UK are fitted with smoke alarms.
Despite this fact, almost half of fire deaths in buildings last year happened in a building that had working smoke alarms. It is a known fact that many people disable their alarms if they go off frequently and then forget to replace the batteries.
Most fires in the home start in the kitchen and many have some involvement with alcohol. Rob Davies, from West Midlands fire and rescue service, said: “About 60% of house fires are caused by fires in the kitchen. But when you come onto fatalities and fire deaths, it’s slightly different. In fact, with 40% of fire fatalities there has been some involvement with alcohol.”
Sheila Merrill from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said that often, people who lost their lives in a fire in their home had not heard the fire alarms due to being in a deep sleep because of alcohol or medication. |Another contributing factor to these deaths is that although fire alarms are fitted, escape exits have not been planned. Ms Merrill said: “In some instances, they could have heard the alarm but their exit out of the house is actually blocked by the fire, so they’re still unable to get out. And what we have to remember is that nine times out of 10, it’s not the fire that kills you, it’s the smoke.”
The Governments chief fire and rescue adviser said: “Simple checks such as closing doors every night and avoiding overloaded plugs will help reduce the risk in the home. If the worst should happen, everyone should make sure they are prepared and have an established and practiced escape route in place,” he said.
It is important to ensure that your smoke alarms are working and The Fire Training Academy encourage you to get into the habit of testing your alarms every Tuesday. Join us on Facebook and Twitter to get your weekly ‘Test it Tuesday’ reminders.
London fire incident map
A map of London that shows the number of fire related incidents in the capital is now available to view on line.
The map shows all recorded incidents that have been dealt with by firefighters.
The map shows that firefighters are called to approximately 3734 incidents in each London borough every month, Croydon had the most serious fires – and Southwark had the most call outs to people being stuck in lifts!
Susan Hall from the fire Authority’s Community Safety Committee said: “London’s firefighters have done an excellent job of making the capital safer in recent years but there are still some areas that are having too many fires. The map shows that fires happen each and every day across London – what better incentive could there be for people to make sure it doesn’t happen to them?”
The map can be viewed here: http://maps.london-fire.gov.uk/
UK fire stations to be re-built
Chorley fire station is to be rebuilt as part of Government plans costing £48m.
Another 12 fire stations across the UK are also set to be improved as part of the fire service’s largest ever PPP project.
Builders are expected to start on the new development, off Southport Road, next summer and it is thought that the current depot in Weldbank Lane will be demolished after the move.
Ian Tyler of Balfour Beatty, said: “The upgrade of the stations will help meet the changing needs and support the modern practices of the fire and rescue service and provide a better environment for working, learning and training. We look forward to working with Lancashire Fire and Rescue Authority.”
The new station will also incorporate Southern Area headquarters, a training development department and a base for the Urban Search and Rescue team.
Lancashire’s Chief Fire Officer, Peter Holland, said: “This is a major boost for Lancashire. Our fire prevention work with communities has driven down the incidence of fires to their lowest level ever. In terms of emergency cover, today’s demands on Fire and Rescue Services are more challenging than ever, with a diversity of fire and other risks, volumes of traffic and road networks which were not envisaged when the fire stations in Blackburn, Fleetwood, Burnley and Chorley were built. “I am confident that these new stations will enable us to keep ahead of the pace of change in those areas. They will also ensure that the first-rate standards of fire and rescue cover we provide there continue to be maintained.”