A head start

摘要

At the British Automatic Sprinkler Association's (BASA's) autumn conference on 19-20 November 2003, there was widespread acknowledgement that the UK sprinkler industry spends a lot of time 'preaching to the converted'. Sure enough, the sprinkler manufacturers and installers, insurers and fire service officers who attended the event are acutely aware of the benefits of fitting sprinkler systems. But the conference also highlighted some new issues with which delegates were not so well versed, including the opportunities presented to the industry by the imminent review of Approved Document B (ADB) and by the reform of fire legislation and the fire service in the UK. Simon Smith, chief fire officer of North Wales Fire and Rescue Service, set the scene with a presentation outlining the role of sprinklers in reducing fire-related deaths and injuries in the home. Mr Smith said that North Wales has one of the worst records of fire deaths in the UK, with 30 deaths in dwelling fires since April 2000. The service's community fire safety team is ensuring that many properties are fitted with working smoke alarms in an effort to drive down the number of fatal incidents but it has found that many victims are elderly people who are mobility impaired and have difficulty evacuating, even though they have been alerted by an alarm.