Fire Debate: The Heat Is Off

摘要

The film footage and photographs of the fires at Kidderminster (pictured) and Smethwick in the summer of 2013, and more recently at a waste site in Widdington, have reinforced negative stereotypes of antisocial behaviour by the waste industry. Long after the smoke had cleared and the fire water had been dealt with, the subject of waste fires continues to provide material for sensationalist radio stories. Frustratingly this is drowning out any coverage of the true story of hard work and success by the majority of the industry - as represented by ESA - which is going unheard. Anecdotes abound of ne'er-do-well operators who fill their sites and then recklessly use a fire to clear them (thereby avoiding tax and disposal costs). But legitimate operators are showing an increasing awareness of fire risk, and are spending significant sums on installing fire prevention equipment. ESA's Health and Safety Working Group, and WISH, of which ESA is proud to be a member, began work on gathering and publishing industry best practice on fire prevention long before the summer of 2013. The increased media attention in 2013 allowed ESA and WISH to combine and attract representation from the Fire and Rescue Services (FRS), the Environment Agency (EA), the major insurers and many others to produce practical guidance, written by operators for operators, which could then be supported by both regulators and government.