Our most read articles on fire safety of 2016

Avatar photo

Contributor

Author Bio ▼

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.
December 22, 2016

Download

Whitepaper: Enhancing security, resilience and efficiency across a range of industries

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.

January

This time-lapse video shows how fire engulfed a Dubai hotel on New Years Eve

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.

February

Housing association prosecution over fatal Lewisham fire is a “wake-up call” for residential building owners

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.

March

Two warehouse fires in less than 48 hours exposes vulnerability of industrial sites

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.

April

8 tips on choosing a competent fire-risk assessor

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.

May

The Regulatory Reform (fire safety) Order, 10 years on: insights from the LFB review

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.

June

Top 50 most influential people in security and fire 2016: results announced

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.

Ben Bradford 3

July

Hotel fire safety case study: Are the hotel and local FRS doing enough?

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.

August

12 presentations from FIREX International 2016

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.

September

The dodgy fire door gallery 2016

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.

fire-door-propped-open-with-extinguisher-fss_fire

October

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 recall: 5 electrical items that turned out to be fire hazards

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.

November

Royal Clarence Hotel fire: the questions that need answers after the destruction of the UK’s oldest hotel

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.

December

Deathtrap: the Oakland warehouse fire that killed 36 [fire news roundup]

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.

Subscribe to the IFSEC Insider weekly newsletters

Enjoy the latest fire and security news, updates and expert opinions sent straight to your inbox with IFSEC Insider's essential weekly newsletters. Subscribe today to make sure you're never left behind by the fast-evolving industry landscape.

Sign up now!

man reading a tablet, probably the IFSEC Global newsletter
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
1 Comment
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Bellaross
January 4, 2017 12:28 pm

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