Firefighters attended an early morning fire at a town centre business after passers-by were alerted by a triggered smoke alarm and dialled 999. Crews attended a commercial premises in Wellingborough Road, Rushden, at 6am yesterday (September 8) after receiving reports of smoke coming from the building. At its peak, three fire engines were at the …
Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service is urging businesses that have had to make changes due to COVID-19 to make sure fire safety remains a top priority. Many have had to respond quickly to the pandemic once they were allowed to reopen and when revisiting their risk assessments, fire safety may not have been at the …
Firefighters were last winter called to more than 30 reports of chimney fires in Northamptonshire, prompting reminders for people to please have their chimneys swept. With autumn and winter just around the corner, Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) would like to encourage people to take an early opportunity to organise their chimney maintenance. NFRS …
With local country parks reporting increased numbers of ‘staycation’ visitors, Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service would like to remind people to please think ‘water safety’. Park spaces with waterways, such as Sywell Country Park, have been experiencing surges in visitor numbers, but also issues with people not abiding by park bylaws. Visitors have been using …
The owner of a country pub near Kettering says he feels ‘very lucky’ not to have suffered worse damage after a pile of tea towels ‘spontaneously combusted’ in a washing basket. Landlord Joe Buckley, who owns The Tollemache Arms in Harrington, was keen to warn other catering businesses about this unusual fire risk, following an …
Firefighters in Northamptonshire will this week bring their programme of ambulance service support efforts to a close, having completed almost 1500 hours of work during the pandemic. Since the end of April, on-call firefighters from Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) have completed 146 shifts to support East Midlands Ambulance Service, amounting to just under …
Almost 3,000 medication deliveries have been made by Northamptonshire firefighters to ‘at risk’ individuals as part of a support scheme which draws to a close this week. Throughout the pandemic, firefighters have been working to help those who are shielding and at particular risk from Covid-19 by volunteering to aid in pharmacy deliveries to people’s …
With many camping and caravanning sites now reopened for business, people are being urged to please remember to think fire safety during staycations. As schools prepare to shut for summer and the UK holiday season starts, Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) would like to remind holiday-makers about the steps they can take to enjoy …
A 58-year-old woman has died after a bungalow fire in Blackberry Lane, Northampton. At 12.45am this morning (Tuesday, July 14), Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service were called to the address in Briar Hill after a neighbour reported hearing a smoke alarm and observed smoke coming from a nearby property. Three fire appliances from Mereway, The …
While schools are working hard to make sure children are as safe as possible from Covid-19, Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) is making sure they are fire safe too. Officers from NFRS’s Fire Protection Team have been busy on the phones in recent weeks and have so far contacted almost 300 schools in the …
Don’t leave candles burning when you leave the room.
You should always keep an eye on naked flames wherever they are!
Don’t plug too many plugs into a socket.
This can cause an electrical fire.
Never touch the oven or fireplace unless a grown up is with you.
Ask a grown up to check the smoke alarms once a month.
Never take the batteries out when it goes off by accident, you might forget to put them back in.
Unfortunately, the very features that provide this fast response can also produce unwanted signals arising from activities other than a real fire.
These can prove both costly both to the Fire Service, by initiating unnecessary turnouts of fire appliances and to the building operator. Evacuation of a building as a result of a false alarm signal can result in loss of production and general disruption of normal business activities.
Visit our Unwanted Fire Signals page for more details on our unwanted fire signal reduction policy.
Compliance with the simple rules below will help to release the fire service for more essential duties.
They may also help to save you from the permanent loss of business so frequently associated with a major fire.
Make sure you carry out a continuous fire risk assessment of your building ensuring the following points are followed:
Download the documents below for assistance with completing your risk assessment:
Blank Fire Risk Assessment Proforma (PDF 117KB) Fire Risk Assessment (worked example for office premises (PDF 462KB)
Fire Risk Assessment (worked example for House in Multiple Occupation (HMO)) (PDF 389KB)If you feel, having read the guidance, that you:
You will need to appoint a specialist to carry out the risk assessment for you. Such a specialist must identify the fire safety measures that need to be in place. You should maintain close involvement in the process.
The Fire Risk Assessment Competency Council have produced a document (Guidance Choosing a Competent Fire Risk Assessor) for information on how to select an appropriate person or organisation to carry out the risk assessment on your behalf.
The guide and other helpful documents are available via the link below:
Weather patterns in the UK usually mean that extreme conditions such as ice, snow and heavy rain can happen suddenly and can often leave drivers unprepared for what they might face on the roads.
Many drivers may fail to realise the extent to which extreme weather can affect aspects of driving such as visibility and stopping distances. Stopping distances can double in wet conditions and can increase ten-fold in ice and snow. Add to this the fact that reactions to hazards become impaired when drivers cannot see clearly, and the results can be fatal.
If possible, avoid driving in snow and other dangerous conditions such as fog, heavy rain and ice. Think about if there are any alternatives such as home-working arrangements; particularly if you live in a rural area.
Change the way you drive depending on the weather
The numbers of people choosing to cycle for fun, fitness or to get to work has increased by more than a quarter in twenty years and an incredible 3.2 billion miles are cycled on our roads every year.
Bikeability
Cycling is an effective sustainable mode of travel to school, however, all pupils cycling must be made aware of the need for safety and security when cycling. The National Standard Cycle Training is a progressive scheme that moves through three levels to give parents the reassurance that their children have the necessary skills and confidence to cycle to school. Children are encouraged to achieve all three levels of training. Bikeability is organised by our Highways Team in Northamptonshire. If you would like further information regarding Bikeability training please contact them on cycletraining@kierwsp.co.uk
Please visit the Think website for further information and safety tips on cycling.
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