How many fire extinguishers?

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

I can actually understand about the lack of extinguishers, as daft as it sounds - at the first sign of anything untoward happening you’d probably want to hit the big red button that operates the fixed system in a petrol station.

Sadly, unlike our past training, the staff are told to "Run away!!!"

The Big red button is a power isolator to the pumps and non essential power supplies.

If a Petrol station is under a certain meter square area a suppression system is not required.

Don't get me going on this.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

In the shop? Perhaps 2 if you are lucky. And of course at night it is pay at pump.

I know so. I have spent many an hour at a lot of the petrol stations you mention.

 

[daleyd]

Don't believe it?
Perhaps staff in Tesco and Asda are better trained but certainly in other petrol stations they are clueless - try asking the girl in your local Applegreen or Texaco which type of extinguisher should be used on which fire.

To be honest I wouldn’t expect someone on the minimum wage to be a firefighting expert but if they have no training at all then it seems they are going against hse guidelines, which I guess might mean they would have their license to dispense petroleum removed.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg216.htm

Also a quick google suggests that your local Asda might be breaking the rules as well as there should be a minimum of 1 extinguisher per 2 pumps according to this document...

https://www.acs.org.uk/sites/default/files/acs_advice_storing_fuel_aw3_06.06.17_lr_spreads.pdf

 

[fizzy]

Sadly, unlike our past training, the staff are told to "Run away!!!"

The Big red button is a power isolator to the pumps and non essential power supplies.

If a Petrol station is under a certain meter square area a suppression system is not required.

Don't get me going on this.

I totally agree - it is a while since I managed the petrol stations - it was back in 1995 to 1998 - but even then it was very lax. A mate of mine was a night manager quite recently in a small chain of stations - nothing has changed!

 

[fizzy]

To be honest I wouldn’t expect someone on the minimum wage to be a firefighting expert but if they have no training at all then it seems they are going against hse guidelines, which I guess might mean they would have their license to dispense petroleum removed.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg216.htm

Also a quick google suggests that your local Asda might be breaking the rules as well as there should be a minimum of 1 extinguisher per 2 pumps according to this document...

https://www.acs.org.uk/sites/default/files/acs_advice_storing_fuel_aw3_06.06.17_lr_spreads.pdf

If they did that there would be no petrol stations open in the UK!

And I doubt it is just my local ASDA - I suspect they are all the same - have a look next time you fill up. It took me some time to locate the cabinet with the extinguisher and bucket of sand - not by each pump as in other smaller garages.

In fairness UK petrol stations are extremely safe due to design. Underground tanks are totally safe even if a pump or car catches fire. Of course above ground damage to a car fire or fuel spill could be considerable.

 

[daleyd]

I’ve actually seen a petrol station go up, it was Fareham in 1993/1994 and some local scrotes set fire to a calor has stowage cage.

I was leaving the main gate at HMS Collingwood across the road just as it happened, sat in the back of my mates van - at first I thought it was someone messing around and kicking the side of the van, until we pulled over and saw the gas cylinders shooting up in the air. I think there were 10 - 12 appliances in attendance.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcGS5BIIL7o

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

I’ve actually seen a petrol station go up, it was Fareham in 1993/1994 and some local scrotes set fire to a calor has stowage cage.

I was leaving the main gate at HMS Collingwood across the road just as it happened, sat in the back of my mates van - at first I thought it was someone messing around and kicking the side of the van, until we pulled over and saw the gas cylinders shooting up in the air. I think there were 10 - 12 appliances in attendance.

Ex employ of the station. HMS Collingwood supplied fire hydrants for the brigade to use.

 

[daleyd]

Ex employ of the station. HMS Collingwood supplied fire hydrants for the brigade to use.

I remember seeing the duty watch fire party pulling the fire cart across the road (sleeves rolled down on their 8’s) as gas cylinders were exploding 100,s of feet in the air! Not sure what a couple of afff cylinders were going to do but the thought was there!!

 

[MCKDAVID]

I wonder on here who carry out their:
Daily.
Weekly.
Monthly.

Checks on their:
Fire alarms.
Emergency Lights.
Fire extinguishers.
Escape routes.
Muster points.

fire alarm, probably about every month, more or less, they're all fairly easy to access and there's only 4, but just on the button, not by smoke or heat test though.
fire extinguishers, don't check them but I can see all the guages so know they're charged, the bloke comes round every year and tests, weighs, recertifies etc.
escape route, check it every time I nip out for a brew... only way in or out. second door is still stored in the container waiting to be installed. need to get on with that thinking about it...
muster point, yep checked daily same time as I have a brew, designated the house kitchen as the muster point... ok I might have made the last bit up especially sinces there's only me, I can muster anywhere..

don't have any emergency lights as such, just the one above the door, and haven't tested that since it was installed. will do that on monday..

 

[addjunkie]

Our smokes get tested often by the toast, the heat detector Ror I have tested a couple of times, with a hot air gun. We dont have emergency lights as such, but do have a selection of led inspection type lamps, incase of power cuts, that do get tested, and recharged.
Extinguishers I check, it aint rocket science, I used the to do it at sea, and did do the Chubb training when I worked for them, long time ago, though I was predominatley fixed systems.

As for fixed systems, they aint as comon as youd think, and are very expensive to install.

Gas cylinders in a fire run away, all you can do is attempt to cool them from as far away as possible with lots and lots and lots of water.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

As for fixed systems, they aint as comon as youd think, and are very expensive to install.

Getting more common and more expensive to maintain.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

This is from a site, student accommodation.

Landlord checks each flat weekly. Signed of in the log book.

Fire alarm log show this detector had an issue of "pre alarms"
Land lord solution, fit a cover, left over from the install. So it didn't fall of he glued it in place.

 

[jimbo84]

About the petrol station staff training, our local one is unmanned 24/7, around 8 pumps I think, not sure about extinguishers, never looked, I’d be legging it if anything went up.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

About the petrol station staff training, our local one is unmanned 24/7, around 8 pumps I think, not sure about extinguishers, never looked, I’d be legging it if anything went up.

Unmanned yes.

But monitored via CCTV.
In normal situations a detector on the camera will activate and start to record the images. This way any issues can be resolved.

But, there will be cameras with a "Thermal" capacity, if that operates automatic signal is sent to the local Fire Brigade and they react. At the same time the "Fire Man Switch" will activate.

 

[8ob]

Got fire extinguishers all over the place bought from a factory that shut down, the company that supplied them were selling them off and I literally filled up my truck with them for about £200 . They guy selling them ( all in date) also advised on placement and types, he also offered to do an annual visit to check on/ replace as necessary. Its quite reassuring to have extinguishers about when you know that if you turned on a tap you would get to the end of the hose before the water

Bob

 

[DAPPH]

It's worth mentioning that a lot of extinguishers not just water based charges must not become frozen as it makes them likely to fail .. check your instructions carefully .

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

It's worth mentioning that a lot of extinguishers not just water based charges must not become frozen as it makes them likely to fail .. check your instructions carefully .

If it believed that the unit may be subject to below 0deg C a anti freezing agent most be added.

After 2008 they temperature range is on the unit. Most are good to -10deg C.

Water, Foam, both powder types and Wet Chem. use a nitrogen charge to propel the contents.

CO2 use the fact the liquid CO2 with turn to vapour in atmosphere.