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Adam Bannister is a contributor to IFSEC Global, having been in the role of Editor from 2014 through to November 2019. Adam also had stints as a journalist at cybersecurity publication, The Daily Swig, and as Managing Editor at Dynamis Online Media Group.
Merry Christmas and welcome to our roundup of IFSEC Global’s most-read fire safety articles of the year.
Taken on a month by month basis this year’s most popular content features everything from coverage of major fires (several articles on the Dubai skyscraper fires all generated a lot of traffic, for instance) to visual content (like the dodgy fire door gallery or time-lapse video of the Dubai fire) to practical fire-safety guides (eg choosing a competent fire-risk assessor).
Take a look below to see what generated the most interest.
Fire engulfed a 63-story Dubai hotel on New Years Eve, the third fire in a high-rise building in the city in as many years. Photographer Kirill Neiezhmakov captured this haunting video as the blaze took hold at The Address Hotel in Dubai.
Lewisham Homes was fined £40,000 for its role in the deaths of two Lewisham residents in 2011. The blaze, which was started deliberately in a 16th floor flat, spread quickly to the communal areas of the Deptford tower block and into a neighbouring flat, where two women died.
A fire in Enfield saw smoke billow across the M25, then little more than a day later a blaze erupted at a Staffordshire factory. “The Enfield and Staffordshire fires illustrate how conventional smoke detection can be inadequate for industrial sites,” Martin Norris, sales director for Xtralis, told IFSEC Global.
Even if you do appoint an external fire-risk assessor you, as the responsible person, can still be held accountable if mistakes are made. Here are some simple steps to properly meeting your legal obligations and keeping your staff or residents safe, courtesy of Nick Coombe of the London Fire Brigade.
CFOA enforcement lead Nicholas Coombe gave us an insight into the findings of an LFB report on the effectiveness of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
Ben Bradford of BB7 was the highest ranked fire-safety professional in the rankings this time round, unseating Jonathan O’Neill, MD of the Fire Protection Association (FPA). Watch out in 2017 for a revamped format that hives off fire safety manufacturers and fire safety professionals into their own categories.
Fire-safety consultant Alan Cox contacted a hotel with concerns about its fire safety measures. This is the response from the hotel and how the Fire and Rescue Service responded to the issue.
Downloads of presentation slides included sessions on The RRFSO: 10 years on by Andy Jack, London Fire Brigade; The Fire Performance of Building Envelopes by Steven Howard, BRE Global; BIM by Kieran Parkinson, BSI; SFRS False Alarms Research Project by Raman Chagger, BRE Global; SFRS False Alarms Research Project by Raman Chagger, BRE Global; and a passport to opportunities in the Middle East by Robert Hine, BSI.
Courtesy of Fire Door Safety Week this horror show features pictures sent to Theodore Firedoor from concerned fire safety professionals and regular members of the public.
From exploding e-cigarettes to hoverboards, the crisis surrounding Samsung’s latest smartphone was just the latest in a long line of faulty electrical goods that put consumers at risk. The Samsung was one of five examples we outlined where electrical products caused fires or were recalled because they were identified as a fire hazard.
Fire-safety consultant Alan Cox said the fire that destroyed one of Exeter’s greatest landmarks exposed once again the false economy of doing fire safety on the cheap in the UK’s most important heritage sites.
A fire that broke out in a warehouse in Oakland, California killed 36 people. Added to the fire risks inherent in nightclubs, theatres and other buildings of ‘assembly occupancy’ – crowded, often dark spaces with combustible interior décor and heat sources like candles, stage lights or pyrotechnics – the venue had multiple other deficiencies in fire safety.
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In the presentation with media, Police official said it was caused by a short circuit and only fifteen people were injured. But I think there was a huge number of the injured and there are also chances for causalities. http://www.intesec.co.uk/cctv.html
In the presentation with media, Police official said it was caused by a short circuit and only fifteen people were injured. But I think there was a huge number of the injured and there are also chances for causalities.
http://www.intesec.co.uk/cctv.html