Fire service measures Whilst MFRS crews remained at the site
for a couple of days, the fire had been extinguished less than six hours after it had started. This success was down to a combination of prevention, protection and response interventions both before and during the incident. MFRS protection officers had visited the site as a joint inspection with the EA a month previous to the fire, and as a consequence the site fire risk was significantly reduced. Mr Keen acknowledged: ‘Had the
prevention and protection measures not been taken within the last month, the condition would certainly have increased the fire risk to the point where it would have threatened the whole site and the many industrial businesses neighbouring the site.
‘I also need to acknowledge the benefits of using our waste fires tactical advisor, station manager Pat Gibbons, whose technical advice on extinguishing the fire was invaluable.’ Since the fire, Gaskells has worked closely with MFRS and the EA to put in place a number of improved fire safety measures that will reduce the risk of future fires
that store any amount of combustible waste to have a fire prevention plan. The fire prevention measures are designed to meet three objectives: firstly, to minimise the likelihood of a fire happening; secondly, to aim for a fire to be extinguished within four hours; and finally, to minimise the spread of fire within the site and to neighbouring sites. Fire prevention plans must set out all of the measures a company will put in place to reduce the risk of a fire breaking out. It encourages site operators to both understand the common causes of fire and how they can reduce the risk. An EA spokesperson said: ‘Waste fires can blight local communities. We respond 24/7 to high risk incidences of waste fires or pollution and support local fire and rescue services in managing them as effectively as possible when they do occur. ‘The Environment Agency requires operators
to have an approved fire prevention plan in place before a permit is issued, and when operators fail to keep within the law, we take direct action to protect people and the local environment. Most operators work within the remit of their permit and put in place measures to reduce the risk of fire [such] as heat monitoring devices and fire engines.’
FOCUS
www.frmjournal.com NOVEMBER 2018
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