There isn’t a more heroic job than a firefighter, is there? In 2020, London Fire Brigade also rescued over 300 cats and birds, 73 dogs, 61 foxes, 17 horses, 17 deer and 7 squirrels. They also put out wildfires and fires caused by fire lanterns.
Fire hazards lurk in many corners of our lives. They include anything that can start a fire or make one worse. Recognising these hazards is key to preventing fires before they happen. Let’s explore some of the usual suspects when it comes to fire risks.
Prevent Cigarette Fires
Smoke outside (and use a personal ashtray). Never drop cigarette litter (like a match to paper, on dry land). Install smoke alarms (your fire service will check for vulnerable people) and get them checked.
Prevent Kitchen Fires
Swap chip pans for air-fryers with safety cut-outs. Chip pans are the biggest cause of house fires in England, so throw them out. Your food will also be healthier.
When cooking, tie loose hair back, avoid floaty sleeves, face pan handles inwards and keep a mini extinguisher nearby.
Prevent Electrical Fires
Get rid of overloaded sockets, faulty wiring, flickering lights (including dodgy Christmas lights) and hot switches. All are warning signs of electrical trouble. Contact a qualified electrician to investigate. Always follow candle safety advice, if using.
Switch off electric blankets, when not in use. Use safer oil-powered radiators over convector heaters. The latter can overheat. Also don’t leave laptops and phones on your bed, as they heat up.
Prevent Chimney Fires
Clean gas vents, flues & chimneys. Have a qualified chimney sweep visit at once a year, to avoid chimney fires. Only use proper approved fire lighters and follow advice for open fires. Use a fireguard. Read more on safely enjoying open fires.
Safe Storage of Flammable Substances
Take flammable liquids and chemicals to the tip (or have them collected). If you have to use them, store in well-ventilated areas, away from heat sources. Use proper proper containers with labels for easy identification. Don’t let cluttered spaces become a haven for fire risks.
Have a clear-out! Paper is flammable, so take time to go through your paperwork and remove all your clutter, to remove sources that could catch fire (all frayed over-long curtains etc).
Fire Safety Equipment
Install working smoke alarms on every floor, and test them weekly. If you are vulnerable, most fire stations will come out for free home checks, and help you fit them. Also invest in a fire extinguisher (and know how to use it) and a fire blanket (which can snuff out small flames).
Creating an Emergency Plan
Create a clear plan for how to leave the premises quickly and safely. Know two exits from every room. Establish a meeting point for everyone outside your home or office. This ensures quick headcounts during an emergency.
Practising your evacuation plan makes it second nature. Regular fire drills mean everyone knows what to do when the alarm sounds. It’s not just for schools or workplaces; try them at home too. Practice makes perfect.
How to Prevent Another Grenfell Tower Tragedy
The 2017 Grenfell Tower fire that killed 72 people (and injured many more) was caused by a faulty fridge (not the owner’s fault) and due to lack of fire safety maintenance (two residents who asked the council to do more, died in the fire with their families)
Using the wrong kind of combustible cladding in a tower block, all deaths were preventable. In addition, many pets died in the fire (including some with guardians who refused to leave) and other pets ended up shelters, when their human guardians died.
The fire was caused by combustible foam, used to fill in irregular gaps in the windows of a tower block in London’s borough of Kensington & Chelsea. Yet the council (run by different people now) did not listen to concerns, and even following the fire did remove some flammable renders and insulation, leaving local people to live in cold damp properties. Even the local Citizens Advice Bureau was sold off, to make way for a Pret coffee shop.
Four-Storey Buildings are Safer
Grenfell Tower is one of the ugly tower blocks built in the 60s, but modern urbanists like Tim Halbur say that cities like Paris are better, where buildings are no more than four-storeys high. This fosters community and is safer in the event of fire. Grenfell only had one stairway and no fire sprinkler system (and even today, most tower blocks have no sprinklers and some in Yorkshire still contain the same dangerous cladding, that still has not been replaced).
Fire crews were told to instruct a ‘stay put’ policy (most people will escape if the fire is contained). But in this 24-storey building, it all went wrong, which is why the enquiry took seven years.
Grenfell Tower was always a tragedy waiting to happen. In 1973 a similar fire occurred on the Isle of Man, causing 50 deaths due to a fire that tore through a leisure building, due to dangerous sheeting on the building’s exterior. And in the same year as Grenfell burned, London Fire Brigade had warned all London borough councils to review the use of such panels, to reduce fire risk.
Findings to Prevent Another Grenfell Tragedy
- Register electrical appliances, to be notified of safety repairs & recalls. US law requires a steel back to fridges to help contain fires. Yet until recently, UK fridges only needed plastic backing. There is still no UK law, to prevent the sale of second-hand plastic-backed fridges.
- Ensure councils do proper fire checks and inspections. And if needed, immediately replace with safer cladding.
- Surrey Fire Service hastips for councils and builders, to ensure tower blocks are safe. These include sub-dividing buildings or better escape routes, suitable (labelled) fire doors, fitting smoke detectors in each room and maintaining ‘dry risers’ (empty pipes that fire brigades can pump water to multiple levels).
- Fix My Block is a site where tower block residents can download and sample letters, to ensure the law is adhered to for fire and gas safety, cladding and repairs.
What To Do With Grenfell Tower’s Site
The tower still stands as a sad memorial. But visionary architects say that in a borough with poor damp housing, the tower should be knocked down and replaced with four-storey mixed-use buildings, as an example of what good social housing could look like, and be safer too.
Camborne Mews is one idea suggested, plus suggestions to re-landscape the area into a pedestrianised street with ground floor private flats, benches and pet-safe flowerbeds, and a small pavilion for community facilities, which together would serve as a nice memorial.
In July 2024, the local council apologised and refunded the money, after charging local residents cleaning fees for upkeep a memorial to Grenfell victims. The fight for justice goes on, get involved and support Grenfell United, made up of relatives and friends of those who died. It continues to campaign for safer cladding and safer homes.
Firehose bags (that help firefighters)
Elvis & Kresse is a unique company that takes firehose that has ‘gone into retirement’ after a 25-year heroic life of fighting fires, and then turns it into naturally red luxury accessories from wallets and belts to overnight bags. And even better, 50% of all profits help the Firefighter’s Charity, offering help to serving and financial firefighters with what they need.
Based in Kent, this small company sometimes lines items with reclaimed military-grade parachute silk and offers good warranties and reasonable repair costs after that.
Some items use rarer yellow firehose, and sometimes reclaimed Burberry fabric. The laptop bag has closed cell foam for ultimate protection. The big bags have adjustable padded shoulder straps and internal pockets. Of course these are luxury items so if you’re on a budget but like the idea, the company offers luggage tags too!
Life Wisdom from a Former Firefighter
Firefighter Zen is an interesting read by a retired firefighter who spent his working life walking towards danger, rather than (like most of us) running away from it. In this unique collection of true stories, he shows you how to stay grounded while navigating danger, comforting others and responding to personal problems. It’s how we cope with these events (rather than the events themselves) that define the quality of our lives.
Thought Vegans Were Weak & Weedy?
If you think that vegans are weedy and would fall over if you brushed them with a feather, meet Jade Konkel-Roberts, a vegan Scottish rugby player, who has played at national level for over 10 years. In her ‘other life’, she’s a serving firefighter.
Rip Esseltyn is a former US firefighter who promotes the plant-strong lifestyle (he’s the son of the first cardiologist to reverse heart disease in patients through diet, proven on angiograms). At 60, he became world record holder in 200 metre backstroke for his age group!
We think Fiona Oakes is one of the most amazing people on the planet. Missing one kneecap, she nevertheless trained to become a firefighter. Then she opened a farm sanctuary for rescued animals. Now she runs marathons to raise money, while also fighting fires!
