User Blogs

I subscribe to a number of fire industry RSS Feeds and I continue to see the same content and images recycled over an over again, typically under the title "Lessons learned..."

I think its about time that we move on from writing about "lessons learned..." and start researching and writing about other industry trends, innovation, education, special applications, etc.

Here are a few things I would be keen to learn more about...

A portable fire extinguisher by definition is an item of equipment for the purpose of extinguishing a fire. The reality is however that a portable fire extinguisher is effective only for the type and size of a fire that it is rated for.

Portable fire extinguishers are generally provided as "first attack" units in fire fighting and should be used only in early stages of fire before the fire grows to a stage that is beyond the capacity of the extinguisher. There are broadly six types of fire extinguisher; Water, Foam, Wet Chemical, Dry Chemical Powder, Vaporising Liquid and Carbon Dioxide. The selection of an extinguisher must be made with the class of fire in mind.

While researching minor changes to our company Occupational Health & Safety Policy, I came across an alert published by WorkSafe Victoria on the dangers of storing gas cylinders in vehicles.

Background
Workers have died or sustained serious injuries after their work vehicles exploded. These explosions occurred when gas from leaking portable gas cylinders ignited inside the vehicles. In many cases, the ignition source was the vehicle’s electrical system.

The call for papers for Fire Australia 2012 has been announced seeking applications for interested people to speak at the exhibition and conference.

This years's conference is titled "The True Cost of Fire" and is being held at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre from November 14 to November 16.

Fire Australia 2012 is the premier fire protection industry conference, attracting key personnel, peers and significant representation from businesses, government and associations.

Earlier today, my 11 year old daughter sent me an email with an attached photograph.

The photograph was of a smoke detector she observed in a private medical clinic that she described as "Yucky!"