Western Isles Fire protection
Take no chances with fire risks
Did you notice that fire extinguisher on the way into your workplace today? For that matter, do you have a fire extinguisher at home? In fact, does anyone think about fire control until it’s too late and the smoke is actually getting in your eyes?
The answer is probably “No” – yet as Mark Robb of Western Isles Fire Protection points out, fire extinguishers need to be there and they need to be serviced. If you have noticed your extinguisher recently, maybe placed high on a wall somewhere, you may not have realised that it needs checking every year – and servicing and replacing regularly – not because of some obscure European Union directive but because it will stop working and be useless if you don’t get that done!
For that matter, did you know which fire extinguisher to use for an electrical blaze and which is unsuitable– probably not – although most people will know there’s a whole range of fires for which water is not suitable to use – anything involving burning liquids and electricity, for a start!
Incidentally, that fire extinguisher should not be in a high place on the far side of the room anyway – it should be low down and near an exit so you can be trying to escape across the floor under the smoke and start fighting the fire at the same time.
Yes, of course, fires are rare but before you go back to whatever you were doing, why not check the service date on your extinguisher? Plus, has anyone around you set a foam extinguisher off even slightly, maybe by accident? Very likely, the extinguisher will require attention or service to ensure that it will be effective and in working order when needed. Extinguishers can also lose pressure over time.
One key change in recent years is that the Fire Service itself is no longer responsible for checking whether premises comply with fire regulations. It is up to the owner of the building and any tenants of different offices or units to make sure the rules are followed. Small businesses – and particularly accommodation providers like Bed and Breakfasts – may well be unaware of the rules and the risks they are running by failing to comply.
This vital work of keeping fire at bay was by no means Mark Robb’s original work. In fact, back home in Leicester he was in the hosiery trade. Around eleven years ago he moved to the Isle of Lewis after coming regularly to Scotland on holiday in previous years. First, he worked at a fish processing plant where he became a supervisor on the filleting line and where he met his present wife Kathryn, who is originally from Yorkshire. They now live on Point and as Western Isles Fire Protection expands its work – a major contract with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar has just been won – Kathryn is playing a growing role providing administrative support.
Mark has undertaken a wide range of training courses since he began working in fire protection and has achieved a range of professional certification and recognition.
Mark is able to provide a range of services – from the simplest extinguisher and fire blanket for a home through to a full-scale assessment and survey of business premises with a full range of equipment provided – including signage – to meet the requirements which are identified.
For those premises with extinguishers already in situ but unregarded, Mark points out that over time they may actually stop working. The main problem is pressure loss. For C02 extinguishers – the kind that is needed for electrical fires, and is particularly good for reducing the damage to computers and other similar equipment – the life is only 10 years and they need a complete service annually to maintain their effectiveness. A powder extinguisher – suitable for a wide range of uses and with the fastest fire knockdown impact – can be rendered useless by being slightly discharged.
One specific service that Mark supplies is fire assessment and equipment for public events like agricultural shows. As a result of his various professional accreditations, Mark is regarded as a “competent person” under the fire regulations and therefore can provide the proper support for such events to enable to comply with the requirements for putting on public events.
So back to that extinguisher you just passed on the way in – when was it last serviced? Probably worth a wee glance, just to make sure.
Contact
Western Isles Fire Protection, Clintons Yard Stornoway
Tel: 07827 870680 Mobile: 07827 967894
Email: info@westernislesfire.co.uk
Website: www.westernislesfire.co.uk
