Current affairs
businesses surrounding it will often have to cease trading for the duration of the fire, or sometimes even longer. Almost all fires in industrial and commercial buildings (ICBs) cause transport disruption, while many also require residential evacuations and school closures.
Environmental costs
Usually, the environmental impact of fires in ICBs is all too evident. A study by Bureau Veritas has calculated that up to 350,000 tonnes of CO2 a year are emitted because of fires in ICBs. Furthermore, the same study has calculated that more than 9bn litres of water are needlessly used by the fire and rescue services (FRSs) in the UK each year to extinguish fires in ICBs, which is equivalent to the daily water use of 15m UK households. This vast amount of water used annually to
extinguish fires in ICBs could be avoided if the buildings were fitted with sprinkler systems. Moreover, this use of water is of particular concern at times of drought and puts extreme pressure on local water systems, often leading to infrastructure damage requiring repair – and so impacting supplies to other businesses and the local residential properties. While the impact is incalculable, the smoke and emissions generated from a fire are pollutants which can lower the quality of the
Four years after a destructive fire at the Total Polyfilm site in Bamber Bridge, Lancashire – this engulfed the plastics manufacturer’s unsprinklered factory – the lasting effect is undeniable, as the business, which had posted a turnover of £50m, has gone into administration and 200 jobs have been lost. It took 60 firefighters to control the fire on
10 May 2016, which resulted in the total loss of the factory. Local and nearby residents and businesses felt the impact from smoke and environmental pollution, and roads were closed causing further disruption. The company’s production was transferred to another site during rebuilding work, but this heavily affected day to day business.
Although the new factory was fully operational
a year later, an additional seven months had been taken to complete the relocation, due to delays in restoration. Despite the 60 year old business returning to operations, it never properly recovered, and its struggles had been further compounded by the loss of key
air that we breathe. Fire water runoff can, in situations where buildings contain pollutants, contaminate watercourses, and it is costly to treat. Furthermore, significant unnecessary waste and use of resources are involved in rebuilding destroyed property.
A tale of two businesses
FOCUS
www.frmjournal.com MAY 2020
53
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
