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The banning of fire extinguishers from two blocks of flats in Bournemouth after being identified as a health and safety risk has been widely reported in the UK media. Below is a response from Graham Ellicott, CEO of the Fire Industry Association (FIA) and Tom Carroll, Former Chief Fire Officer of Cambridge Fire & Rescue Service and Past President of the Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA).

'Fire extinguishers are an invaluable part of one's overall fire safety plan and play a key role in protecting both life and property from fire,' said Graham Ellicott, CEO of the FIA. 'The decision to remove fire extinguishers from the flats in Bournemouth is contrary to a recent survey conducted by the FIA which showed that of 400 fire incidents, approximately 80 percent were successfully extinguished by a portable fire extinguisher, eliminating the need for fire brigade intervention.'

Tom Carroll, Former Chief Fire Officer of Cambridge Fire & Rescue Service and Past President of the Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA) comments: 'The fire and rescue services know how important fire extinguishers are. We get to fire incidents as quickly as we can but we are not there on the ground when the incident occurs and if a fire can be tackled safely with the intervention of a fire extinguisher in those first few vital minutes, then that can obviously prevent a minor incident turning into a major conflagration. The survey demonstrated that in many instances we are not always aware that a fire has taken place because it has been dealt with effectively by a fire extinguisher. However, we advocate that even these incidents should be reported so that the important follow-up advice can be given. In no way are we advocating that the general public put themselves in danger but if it is safe to do so, then an extinguisher can be an invaluable ally.'

Graham Ellicott, continues - 'The Dorset Fire & Rescue Service suggests that it is dangerous for residents to leave their flats in order to fetch a fire extinguisher from a hallway and then return to the blaze. But what if the fire is in the hallway - an extinguisher could aid in creating an escape route. I feel very strongly that we should not remove equipment that could save someone's life. The removal of fire extinguishers from blocks of flats would create more risks, not only to the building and to the fire fighters but, more importantly, to the residents themselves.'

www.fia.uk.com

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