Making the case for a fire extinguisher

Portable fire extinguishers are often the unsung hero in the fire protection equation but a brand new survey, the results of which have just been published, has shown what a vital role they continue to play in combating fire.
   
Anybody involved in fire protection in hospitals will realise only too well the importance of being able to tackle a potential fire incident at the earliest possible opportunity. Life safety, particularly in a hospital, is quite naturally the overriding consideration but protecting medical equipment and, ultimately, the building itself, needs to be factored into the equation, particularly in terms of insurance.
   
Over the last year there has been an increase in the level of interest from insurers with regard to fire protection in buildings. This is evidenced in the issue by the RISC Authority of the fire guidance document Approved Document B: Fire Safety (Volume 2) – to the Building Regulations, 2000 Edition Incorporating ‘Insurers’ Requirements for Property Protection’. This document builds upon the invaluable information that is provided in an earlier RISC Authority document entitled ‘Design Guide for the Fire Protection of Buildings’. This document lists 12 essential principles which, if embraced, will certainly improve the levels of property and business protection.
   
The new survey into the use of fire extinguishers was conducted by the Fire Industry Association (FIA) and, while not specific to the healthcare sector, demonstrates all too clearly how portable extinguishers significantly reduce potential fire losses.
   
There has been much discussion over the last couple of years regarding the role of fire extinguishers. In a world where political correctness and health and safety excess sometimes overrides the application of common sense, some quarters have suggested that extinguishers should not be used under any circumstance.
   
Against this background, the FIA decided to conduct a new survey to see how the role of extinguishers in 2010 compared with the position in 2003 when the last survey was carried out. The data collected in the new survey, although a smaller sample than in 2003, showed the same per centage of fires were extinguished by a portable without the Fire & Rescue Services (FRS) being called – 75 per cent. In terms of the total incidents, there was an eight per cent increase in the number of fires successfully extinguished by portables – 88 per cent in the 2010 survey compared to 80 per cent in 2003.
   
Extrapolation of the figures from the 2003 report equated this to a cost saving from employing extinguishers of over £500 million to the UK economy and £5.1 million in terms of fire service resource savings. In life safety terms, they were estimated to have prevented the loss of 24 lives and some 1,629 injuries.

EVACUATION ISSUES
We have seen cases recently where portable extinguishers have been removed or people are encouraged to ignore them completely and evacuate a building immediately, irrespective of the size of the fire. In the case of a hospital where the need to evacuate may itself have implications for patient safety, this approach is certainly not desirable.
   
An evacuation is a stressful time for most people. However, when you are frail, immobile or possibly medicated, it makes the task of ensuring safety even more difficult. While hospital staff would not be expected to use an extinguisher as a means of aiding escape since they would not have the training to do so, a prompt intervention by someone who has been trained in how to use an extinguisher correctly on a small fire could prevent it growing to the point where an evacuation would be necessary.
   
We work closely with the Fire & Rescue Services on many initiatives so are only too aware of the dangers of fire but it cannot make any sense to walk past a small fire that could be easily put out with an extinguisher to let it grow into one that can cause significant damage or even the complete loss of a building.
   
Of course life safety must come first but the analogy I would draw is that if you drop a lit match onto a carpet, you calmly tread on it to extinguish the flame. You certainly do not immediately evacuate the building. Common sense has to be applied but if it is a small fire that can be readily tackled without putting yourself in danger, people should be encouraged to extinguish the fire before it spreads. If there is no extinguisher available because some over zealous official has decreed they should be removed, then that opportunity is lost. The new survey clearly shows how fire extinguishers continue to be an important line of defence in reducing fire losses.

FIRE SIZE
The main point of contention appears to be the size of the fire that can be safely tackled, along with the need for appropriate training. With regard to the first point, although not clearly defined, convention says that extinguishers should be used on fires not larger than a waste paper bin size. However, the test fires used to certify the fire ratings on extinguishers are very significant – certainly much larger than a typical waste paper bin size to ensure a considerable safety margin in calculating the rating. It is important to recognise that those conducting fire ratings tests are, quite naturally, skilled in extinguishing the fires, which leads us onto the second point.
   
Training is important and the lack of it a reason cited by those who argue against the use of extinguishers. However, people certainly do not need to be trained to the level of those whose job is to extinguish fires as part of the fire rating process. Lack of training is a poor excuse since it is readily available and relatively simple. Attention must be paid to the need to train those people who may be expected to attempt to extinguish a fire. In a hospital such training will obviously be focused on the staff rather than patients and all staff should be familiar with the location and basic operating procedures of the portable fire extinguishers provided.
   
Despite their undoubted value, it is important to appreciate that the role of a fire extinguisher is to tackle a fire in its early stages: they cannot be expected to deal with a large fire since they are essentially first aid fire fighting appliances, which is why training in their use is so important.

FIRE SAFETY ORDER
The Fire Safety Order states: “Where necessary in order to safeguard the safety of relevant persons, the responsible person must ensure that the premises are equipped with appropriate fire-fighting equipment and fire-fighting equipment is simple to use and indicated by signs. The responsible person must take measures for fire-fighting in the premises and nominate competent persons to implement those measures and ensure that the number of such persons, their training and the equipment available to them are adequate.”
   
Through schemes such as the SP101/ST104 from BAFE (British Approvals for Fire Equipment), third party assurance is given that registered companies are competent to supply the correct extinguisher for a given application, in the right place and with the right (and easy to understand) operating instructions and signage.
   
The FIA believes that designers and building owners should consider the use of more fire protection in buildings that are part of the country’s critical infrastructure, hospitals being a prime example. Here we are obviously not just talking about the extinguishers that have been the subject of this article. There are all the active and passive measures available, from fire detection and alarm systems to automatic extinguishing systems, methods of fire compartmentation, penetration seals, self-closing fire doors and a whole range of other potential measures to be considered as part of the risk assessment process.
   
The value to the country of keeping these buildings operational far outweighs the small additional cost of an extra level of fire protection. Extra fire protection is not just a “nice to have” exercise; it could mean the difference between a building that is important to the community, such as a hospital, surviving in the event of a fire. In most cases the knock on effects for the community should a hospital not survive will be many fold the cost of replacing the building itself and it is this bigger picture that needs to be borne in mind when deciding on priorities.

The FIA is a not-for-profit trade association with the aim of promoting the professional status of the UK fire safety industry.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Tel: 020 285495855
E-mail: info@fia.uk.com
Web: www.fia.uk.com