Boat fire

[FrigateCaptain]

Anyone know whos boat went up early this morning at folly lane bridge? If so, are they ok?? Please let us know if theres any thing we can do to help

 

just to add, Bath end of k&A

[real_vibes]

That's so scary. I hope they are ok. Christ

[Rob@BSSOffice]

Anyone know whos boat went up early this morning at folly lane bridge? If so, are they ok?? Please let us know if theres any thing we can do to help

 

just to add, Bath end of k&A

 

I have the details now. It sounds horrendous. Luckily the occupants survived although a pet was not as lucky. I understand that there no smoke alarm on the boat and it was the sound of the fire that woke the people on board. I know what I’m like at 5am, so I think they were fortunate to be mobile enough to escape, especially as a person can fall unconscious with two to three breaths of toxic smoke. There is no boat worth speaking of for them to go back to, just 50ft of warped and blackened steel hull, I doubt if any belongings survived.

 

 

The next day a man returned to his barge on the Thames at Oxford to find it on fire. I’m awaiting more details of that incident.

 

Fit a smoke alarm – test it routinely – make a fire action plan – check everyone aboard knows and understands what to do if fire breaks out.

 

Stay safe

Rob@BSSOffice

[Frankieboy]

Glad the two occupants were ok. What a terrible time for them. As a pet owner and boat owner I can only begin to imagine how they must feel.

Best wishes go out to them.

[J R]

I have the details now. It sounds horrendous. Luckily the occupants survived although a pet was not as lucky. I understand that there no smoke alarm on the boat and it was the sound of the fire that woke the people on board. I know what I’m like at 5am, so I think they were fortunate to be mobile enough to escape, especially as a person can fall unconscious with two to three breaths of toxic smoke. There is no boat worth speaking of for them to go back to, just 50ft of warped and blackened steel hull, I doubt if any belongings survived.

 

 

The next day a man returned to his barge on the Thames at Oxford to find it on fire. I’m awaiting more details of that incident.

 

Fit a smoke alarm – test it routinely – make a fire action plan – check everyone aboard knows and understands what to do if fire breaks out.

 

Stay safe

Rob@BSSOffice

 

Don't know whos boat it is and all sympathys to the owners. Good advice from Rob. About a year ago the local Fire Brigade came around to give free advice on fire safety on narrowboats. Very friendly chap wen't around the boat and picked up on a couple of points that we had not realised about. Thought we were up to speed on these issues. He was there to sdvise not critisise. Learnt alot. Also went through in detail what happens in a boat fire and how to react and respond. Especially noted the effect of using a fire extinguiser in a confined space. After he left, having been there for over 30 minutes, he handed over two smoke alarms and said where to place them and how they operate. 30 mins well spent. Did a few things on his advice. Can strongly recommend this service. (2 or 3 boaters in your area and your local Fire Brigade will come out and advise you). Prevention is better than cure, especially when lives and pets are at stake.

[Jacq]

The Fire service offer free Home safety checks ,which include fire safety , escape plan advice and fitting of smoke alarms.If your in the West Midlands Fire service area ,PM me and I can arrange a visit for you.Or contact your local brigade.

Edited December 9, 2010 by Jacq

[Machpoint005]

Do we have any idea how the fire started?

 

Electrical (unlikely unless there was some deficiency with the installation, or overloaded circuits)

Gas (needs a leak and a source of ignition, unless something combustible was left too close to an appliance)

Solid fuel stove (unlikely unless misused, or again, unless something combustible was left too close...)

Vandalism (well, maybe...)

Other source of fire (candles or smoking requisites).

 

I draw two important points from the tale as we currently know it:

 

(1) The BSC is a valuable and potentially life-saving system, so let's not knock it;

(2) There is no substitute for behaving responsibly. I include not using dangerous goods when p1ssed up. Yes, I do like a drink meself.

 

Not meaning to be judgemental, but before we gush with misplaced sympathy let's think about probable and foreseeable causes, and learn from them, so that we don't experience the same horrors.

[carlt]

before we gush with misplaced sympathy

Misplaced??

 

I feel sympathetic towards anyone whose boat is destroyed, even if it is through their carelessness.

 

Mine was destroyed by vandals. At least I have someone, other than myself, to be angry at.

 

I'd be far more upset, if it had been my own stupid fault.

[Guest]

The Dog House does not have smoke alarms. It does however have 2 pretty substantial fire extinguishers.

 

I have considered fitting them but been dissuaded by how easily they get activated when cooking a good steak on the hob or bacon on a morning.

 

It was the same when we had them in caravans.

 

Inevitably on hire boats I ended up whipping the batteries out and inevitably forgot to put them back in before we went to bed, thus debasing the value of them.

 

At home we have 2 mains powered ones BUT have at least one door between the first one and the kitchen.

 

If one goes off the other does too and when they do it's not only a rare occurrence but something you are pretty sure needs your attention, if only there was a way of recreating the same threshold of activation on the boat....

[romarni123]

The Dog House does not have smoke alarms. It does however have 2 pretty substantial fire extinguishers.

 

I have considered fitting them but been dissuaded by how easily they get activated when cooking a good steak on the hob or bacon on a morning.

 

It was the same when we had them in caravans.

 

Inevitably on hire boats I ended up whipping the batteries out and inevitably forgot to put them back in before we went to bed, thus debasing the value of them.

 

At home we have 2 mains powered ones BUT have at least one door between the first one and the kitchen.

 

If one goes off the other does too and when they do it's not only a rare occurrence but something you are pretty sure needs your attention, if only there was a way of recreating the same threshold of activation on the boat....

I would rather have a dozen false alarms than have no smoke alarms at all,you would not be cooking in the middle of the night so if the alarm went off then you can be sure its for a good reason.

[Guest]

I would rather have a dozen false alarms than have no smoke alarms at all,you would not be cooking in the middle of the night so if the alarm went off then you can be sure its for a good reason.

 

I don't agree if the thing keeps going off you get de-sensitised to it.

 

Middle of the night or not.

[romarni123]

I don't agree if the thing keeps going off you get desensitized to it.

 

Middle of the night or not.

 

Well lets hope you never find out, a fire extinguisher wont help you when you are dead through the smoke or your boat is so far on fire you cant escape.

[ditchcrawler]

I would rather have a dozen false alarms than have no smoke alarms at all,you would not be cooking in the middle of the night so if the alarm went off then you can be sure its for a good reason.

I had the same problem wit a caravan, you couldn't boil a kettle without it going off so you had to remove the battery, it was impossible to continue cooking with them in. I also had the same problem of remembering to put them back in again at night.

I understand you can now buy them with a push button timed over ride but I dont know if they are suitable for marine use.

[Guest]

Well lets hope you never find out, a fire extinguisher wont help you when you are dead through the smoke or your boat is so far on fire you cant escape.

 

Yes I understand that bit - what I am after is a a smoke or fire detector that doesn't go off every 5 mins.

[romarni123]

Yes I understand that bit - what I am after is a a smoke or fire detector that doesn't go off every 5 mins.

Try the Kiddie (spell) website they do ones you can silence while cooking.

[Guest]

Try the Kiddie (spell) website they do ones you can silence while cooking.

 

I will cheers...

[ValandPete]

Yes I understand that bit - what I am after is a a smoke or fire detector that doesn't go off every 5 mins.

 

 

I can recommend -

 

10 year Sealed Optical Smoke Alarm - Kidde - KEPE 910

 

We installed it in August 2009 and it has been activated only about 3 times, when husband is making poppadums and does not open the kitchen windows. It has never gone off when frying bacon etc.

 

Val

[rjasmith]

Yes - smoke alarms using optical detection rather than the ionisation type are supposed to be less susceptible to producing false alarms from cooking vapours etc. So use them in kitchens or in a boat where they are in or close to the galley.

 

Richard

[Artimis]

Ive been into that many houses and seen the battery flap hanging open and an empty space inside.

 

How mad are you all, and just cos it annoys you when you burn the toast?

 

Im not sure if they are available in battery form but domestic mains alarms are now required in kitchens which are heat sensing, not smoke activated.

 

I think a fire alarm is the first and most important safety item

[Guest]

Do we have any idea how the fire started?

 

Electrical (unlikely unless there was some deficiency with the installation, or overloaded circuits)

Gas (needs a leak and a source of ignition, unless something combustible was left too close to an appliance)

Solid fuel stove (unlikely unless misused, or again, unless something combustible was left too close...)

Vandalism (well, maybe...)

Other source of fire (candles or smoking requisites).

 

I draw two important points from the tale as we currently know it:

 

(1) The BSC is a valuable and potentially life-saving system, so let's not knock it;

(2) There is no substitute for behaving responsibly. I include not using dangerous goods when p1ssed up. Yes, I do like a drink meself.

 

Not meaning to be judgemental, but before we gush with misplaced sympathy let's think about probable and foreseeable causes, and learn from them, so that we don't experience the same horrors.

?

Edited December 9, 2010 by Guest

[MtB]

Ive been into that many houses and seen the battery flap hanging open and an empty space inside.

 

How mad are you all, and just cos it annoys you when you burn the toast?

 

Im not sure if they are available in battery form but domestic mains alarms are now required in kitchens which are heat sensing, not smoke activated.

 

I think a fire alarm is the first and most important safety item

 

 

A fire alarm that sounds more often when there isn't a fire than when there is, is not a fire alarm.

[Guest]

A fire alarm that sounds more often when there isn't a fire than when there is, is not a fire alarm.

 

Well put..

[Jacq]

West Mids fit Fire Angel alarms.Sealed 10 year power cell.You cannot remove the battery.They state in the papperwork that they are toast proof and have a hush facility,push button to silence for 10 minutes,then auto reset.

[alan_fincher]

I'm surprised more has not been said in this thread about the differences between an "optical" type smoke alarm, and an "ionising" one.

 

"Optical" ones are far less likely to get false alarms due to over-enthusiastic toast making.

 

"Ionising" ones tend to give far more false alerts, (e.g. my neighbours engine will always activate one in our boat).

 

The only problem is that each type is better suited at detecting different types of fire, so ideally you would have both.

 

But rather than have none, try an "optical" one.

 

I rather fear that the ones most fire services hand out as freebies are "ionising" ones, though - they tend to be cheaper. I may be guessing wrongly on that point, though.

 

We currently have "optical" in the kitchen, and "ionising" in the engine room. Only the latter gives any false alerts.

[Guest]

I'm surprised more has not been said in this thread about the differences between an "optical" type smoke alarm, and an "ionising" one.

 

"Optical" ones are far less likely to get false alarms due to over-enthusiastic toast making.

 

"Ionising" ones tend to give far more false alerts, (e.g. my neighbours engine will always activate one in our boat).

 

The only problem is that each type is better suited at detecting different types of fire, so ideally you would have both.

 

But rather than have none, try an "optical" one.

 

I rather fear that the ones most fire services hand out as freebies are "ionising" ones, though - they tend to be cheaper. I may be guessing wrongly on that point, though.

 

We currently have "optical" in the kitchen, and "ionising" in the engine room. Only the latter gives any false alerts.

 

And accordingly after doing a fair bit of googling I've ordered one of these-

 

http://www.fireangel.co.uk/Smoke-Alarms/Optical-Smoke-Alarms/SO-601.aspx

 

I did pick up on the various types after researching after my first smoke detector question and got a tad confused.. so plumbed for this one for a start......

 

 

..

Edited December 9, 2010 by MJG