A new UK law expected to come into effect around October this year will make the installation of smoke and carbon monoxide alarms compulsory in all private and social rented property in England and Wales. it already is a legal requirement in Scotland to provide linked ‘hard wired’ smoke alarms on stair landings and in […]
CONTINUE READINGAuthor: Gemma Burr
Hotelier hit with biggest-ever fine
The former owner of a London Bayswater hotel has been told to pay London’s biggest-ever fine for an individual for violating fire safety rules at the Radnor Hotel, which London Fire Brigade said put guests’ lives in jeopardy. The then-owner Salim Patel has been fined £200,000 after a successful prosecution. He also was ordered to […]
CONTINUE READINGGhana acts to cut fire risks
Ghana’s National Fire Service (GNFS) has priced the cost to the community of 85 fire outbreaks in one region so far this year at 1 million cedi (about $320,000 Australian). Assistant chief fire officer Augustine Gomez attributed most the fires in the area to bush burning and windy weather that spread flames to neighbouring properties. […]
CONTINUE READINGEbola fades, but Sierra Leone woes mount
The charity Médecins du Monde (Doctors of the World) says many people are dying in Sierra Leone not from ebola but because of the melt down of the country’s health care – partly because of ebola’s pressure on hospital systems. Ebola has killed at least 3,900 people in Sierra Leone so far, but more are […]
CONTINUE READINGPet first aid wins support
In North America, a British Columbia firm ‘Walks ‘n’ Wags Pet First Aid’ is offering a certification program in health care for animals. Local fireman Nigel Pike says about 80 per cent of the course focuses on how to deal with animals, particularly approaching them, making eye contact and recognising signs of aggression or fear. […]
CONTINUE READINGFire Service advice proves popular
Rural Fire Service members found a willing audience at Witmore recently when they offered Day Programs training on what to do if a kitchen fire starts and how to extinguish an electrical fire. The Fire Service crew – from Darlington – even brought up a fire truck and showed residents how to use the fire […]
CONTINUE READINGFirst aid course saves infant
A mother who had just completed a first aid course has saved the life of her daughter after the child choked on a Yorkshire pudding. Rachel Davidson heard three-year-old Holly coughing and turned to see her clutching her throat and gasping for breath “with her eyes rolling”. The 33-year-old mother said she was “terrified”, but […]
CONTINUE READINGElderly woman ‘didn’t want to bother neighbours’
After her 81-year-old mother died because she didn’t understand fire safety, her daughter Barbara Simpson has embarked on a ‘crusade’ to encourage others to learn the basics. Simpson’s mother, Jeanette Schneider was the victim of a fire outside her home when burning grass set her clothing alight. “The fire got away from her, and she […]
CONTINUE READINGAmbulance ‘took an hour’ – but man survived
A first aider who fought to save a man’s life after he suffered a heart attack in a car park has been thanked for her efforts, though the local authority now faces questions about ambulance response times. Julie Robinson, 54, was working at the UK’s Frinton’s Triangle Shopping Centre when a 65 year old man […]
CONTINUE READINGLiverpool Aborigines offered fire safety training
Knowing that statistically, Aboriginal families have a much higher risk of a fire in their home than other people in NSW, fire fighters recently held a safety workshop for Aborigines in the Liverpool area. The program focused on giving the volunteers first-hand skills and training so they will know what to do if a fire […]
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