FOCUS
Go to waste
Phil Drage outlines how best to reduce fire risk on waste management sites, and discusses the cost to resources for fire services
F
IRES AT waste management sites may not be any more common than fi res at any other industrial sites, but when they
do occur, they tend to involve much greater quantities of combustibles. The impact of these fi res is far greater than most other fi res: in addition to property loss, business continuity, and life risk to relevant people, there are much greater amounts of pollutants released into the environment, which can affect all other life forms not protected within considerations pertaining to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 [FSO]. In addition, availability of some facilities may
be affected by these fi res for protracted periods of time, for example schools, leisure facilities and even roads carrying large quantities of traffi c. Examples of waste fi res causing issues include problems on the A14 and M60, to name just two. Pollutants released in the form of small particles carried on the wind, initially elevated on the convection currents, ultimately fall downwind onto farmland, hospitals, schools, and sensitive natural habitats. The Department of Health has a recommended time that it considers acceptable for the local
population to be asked to remain indoors with windows closed during these incidents, which is limited to four hours. However, many of these incidents are signifi cantly longer in duration. Other pollutants will be leeched away in the fi refi ghting water into groundwater, again risking wildlife but also potentially water supplies for people. One large incident of this nature occurred in the South West, where fi refi ghting efforts were actually terminated because of the threat to water supplies.
Costs incurred
Added to this is the cost to the local authority fi re and rescue services, who have to deal with these large fi res. A waste fi re in Lincolnshire, for example, saw 12 appliances deployed for several hours. This is a signifi cant drain on resources for any county, making the response to any other incident likely to result in longer response times. The fi nancial cost of this can be estimated
easily: if an appliance is mobilised from a retained station, on call fi refi ghters are paid to turn out on an hourly basis. An approximation
28 DECEMBER 2017/JANUARY 2018
www.frmjournal.com
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
