Recent Updates

FASS Launch New Company Brochure

April 17, 2017 by FASS

Fire and Safety Solutions Ltd are pleased to announce our new look company brochure which is available to download on all of our product pages throughout our website or can be sent to you direct in printed form from our head office. The new brochure not only incorporates our company branding, it also showcases our core products with clear information on their specification and intended application, supported by high quality photographs.

Speaking on the launch of the new brochure, Paul Wilkinson, Managing Director of Fire and Safety Solutions Ltd said; “I’m really proud of our new look brochure, not only will it enable clients to see at a glance our core products and services, it also brings to attention some of our newer products such as the Prestige polished chrome and metal finished fire extinguisher range. Whilst it’s not an exhaustive list of everything we can offer clients, I hope it gives a feel for FASS as a company and our commitment to quality in everything we do”.

To obtain your free copy you can either download a web quality copy of the brochure by clicking here or if you would like a printed copy sending out to you, please call us for free on 0800 298 0258.

BAFE Approved – Our Commitment to Fully Trained Qualified Technicians

February 15, 2017 by FASS

It’s something a lot of us do. We need a job doing that requires the knowledge of an expert to carry it out – for example Fire Extinguisher Servicing – so we go online and search for that service and are pleased to see a company that appears to be approachable and knowledgeable. It says all of the right things on the website, X number of years of Fire and Safety experience, a reliable service, high quality extinguishers and to seal the deal they even promise that you will be fully satisfied. What more could you ask for?…

BAFE Approved Fire Technician Well, the one thing you really need to ask for is to ensure that the person carrying out any Fire and Safety work at your premises, from fire extinguisher servicing to fire alarm installation, is fully qualified with the correct, up to date industry specific certificates to prove they are fully competent in carrying out the job you are paying for. It’s a serious issue, an incorrectly installed or serviced device could prove fatal or at the very least invalidate your buildings insurance, neither scenario would be desirable for anyone.

All too often we are made aware of companies who only have one approved technician, sending out a small team of unqualified technicians to carry out a job then getting ‘Bob who’s qualified’ to check their work. We feel this is unacceptable as often in an installation some of the items are hidden and obscured so can not easily be checked after the installation. It is therefor essential that anyone carrying out the work is knowledgeable and independently approved – so before you pick up the phone to speak to the first company you find online, can you be sure their staff are fully qualified?

At Fire and Safety Solutions Ltd we believe everyone working as a technician for us must be qualified in their relevant area and that means everyone – which is why our MD, Paul Wilkinson is leading by example and has recently had his BAFE Qualification renewed and approved again. So if you want a company that is experienced, reliable, promises that you will be completely satisfied AND has fully qualified technicians, please get in touch via the website or contact FASS on freephone 0800 298 0258.

‘Sail on’ Fire Suppression for Boats

February 3, 2017 by FASS

Fire Suppression for yachts and boats Browsing through the Fire and Safety Industry articles that we are sent every month there is occasionally an article that really stands out and makes us wonder why you wouldn’t install simple fire safety equipment to prevent the fire from taking hold. This months stand out feature is on Super yachts, whilst it’s fair to say that no one here in the FASS office has had much in the way of ownership of a Super yacht, the same principle also applies to smaller pleasure craft. This is particularly relevant if you own a fishing boat or canal boat for example, any kind of boat that you rent or hire out to people.

As a little bit of background information, the article centers around a recent series of Super yacht fires throughout 2016, one in St Thomas, plus two multimillion-dollar yachts in the Abu Dhabi Marina Yacht Club in early March, taking six boats with them. Two months earlier, a fire damaged two super yachts at a marina in Marmaris, Turkey, and another super yacht, the 95-foot Queen Anna, caught fire in Fethiye, Turkey. In these instances it was maintenance that was assumed to be the cause, primarily electrical fires as ships get older or emergency repairs are made at sea then not properly rectified etc. One of the issues the article was highlighting is that usually it’s not just the one yacht that catches fire, they’re nearly always in a marina when it happens and as they are moored so close together, typically it will take the surrounding vessels with it.

This is a concern if you are a yacht owner or boat owner and you may be wondering where FASS fit in to this. Most people are aware of the basics required with fire prevention or rapid fire extinguishing, on board their boat will be a selection of fire extinguishers and a fire blanket – in fact most insurance companies would specify this as a requirement. Whilst the very high end Super yachts will have fire suppression systems built in to them, many boats, especially older craft, will not and this is where FASS can help.

A fire suppression system will instantly react at the source of the fire before it take holds, the pipe work containing the extuishant will busts over the flame, flooding it with the extinguisher within seconds. The system is fully automatic, low maintenance and more importantly it can be retro-fitted in to boats. Our fire suppression systems are highly flexible and be scaled to fit your requirements and can be installed sensitively to avoid either unsightly pipe work or damaging historic or important areas of the boat.

So before you ‘sail on’ into the sunset, take a moment to consider whether your boat has adequate protection from fire. If you would like further information on our Fire Suppression Systems or how FASS can help you, please contact us or call 0800 298 0258.

Landlord or tenant – are you sure you’re protected from fire?

December 18, 2016 by FASS

If you are a Landlord or a letting agent acting as a Landlord you know you have specific fire prevention and fire safety obligations to meet, aside from being a legal requirement, you would like to think everyone would want to ensure that someone staying within a property they own or manage is safe. Yet time and time again at FASS we read of continued prosecutions of Landlords who fail to meet the most basic standards when it comes to Fire Safety, putting tenants lives and risk and those of neighbouring properties as well. It’s as infuriating as it is astounding to us especially as FASS are highly experienced and able to assist you with ensuring that you meet all current fire regulations and that your tenants are safe.

Domestic Fire Alarm In one recent article a letting agency in Scunthorpe was charged with six offences relating to breaches of the Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (England) Regulations 2006 including:

Failure to take appropriate safety measures – missing fire alarms in the communal areas of the property;
Failure to maintain common parts, fixtures, fittings and appliances – light fittings missing and one with exposed wiring, the stair carpet had holes and badly worn plus a window in the communal area was rotten
Failure to provide waste disposal facilities – there was an accumulation of domestic waste to the rear of the property.

At FASS we welcome the prosecution and subsequent fine of this letting agent fortunately due to this action the tenants will now be safe, however there are still many more properties without adequate fire protection measures in place.

If you are a tenant and feel that your rented property is not safe or does not meet fire regulations we urge you to contact your local authority and report your concerns. The importance of fire safety can not be overstated, take simple steps to prevent fire now.

If you are a Landlord and are unsure of the current regulations and risks associated with fire or would like FASS to carry out a Fire Safety Survey please contact us for further information.

Devastating fire highlights the danger and damage beyond the flames

December 15, 2016 by FASS

Smoke damage can be more devastating that the fire itself

Fires in both domestic and commercial buildings are sadly an everyday occurrence in the UK, the majority of which could be avoided by carrying out correct fire safety precautions. So at Fire and Safety Solutions Ltd when we read of a recent devastating fire at a town centre café, it highlighted one of the horrendous facts about fire that many people overlook when they consider the impact with fire.

In this instance, a fire broke out at Café Piccola in Epsom High Street and whilst fortunately there were no fatalities, one person was treated for burns following the fire. Many of the eyewitness accounts stated that whilst there were visible flames, the smoke from the fire filled the air and surrounding buildings, especially as the fire was extinguished.

This is the point we would like to highlight at Fire and Safety Solutions Ltd, that when someone chooses to cut corners or ignore fire regulations and fire safety precautions, it’s not just peoples lives and their own building that are put at serious risk, but the neighbouring buildings too.

One of the most destructive things about fire is the water damage and the smoke damage – smoke especially as this is one of the key causes of death or serious illness in a fire. Fortunately most people will not have seen just how utterly devastating fire is and at FASS we hope that remains the case, but from our extensive industry experience and exposure to fire it is hard to put in to words the sheer destructive nature of a fire and the consequent smoke and water damage.

As mentioned at the start of the article, this is mostly avoidable. Fires frequently break out due to the careless actions or inaction, in terms of putting in place appropriate fire safety equipment and training, by building owners or business owners.

This is where FASS can help. We are experts in Fire Safety with a long, proven track record and extensive industry experience. We can advise you through a fire safety survey where your current fire equipment and procedures can be improved to meet or exceed current fire regulations and test, service or supply fire safety equipment such as fire alarms or fire extinguishers. In addition we can offer a range if fire safety training courses from standard courses to bespoke courses, to train attendees of how to tackle fire and stay safe and how to prevent fire from occurring.

As the old adage says, ‘prevention is better than cure’. Fire prevention is a responsibility every building or business owner must take seriously to avoid the devastating impact of fire, not only to life or your building, but those around you too. For further information on how FASS can help you, please contact us to arrange a Fire Safety Survey or for an informal, no obligation chat. We look forward to hearing from you.

Prison + £100k for Landlord who failed to arrange fire risk assessment

October 18, 2016 by FASS

news-fire-safety-law If you were given a 5 month prison sentence and ordered to pay £100,000 in costs for failing to arrange a basic fire safety assessment you may consider that punishment to be quite severe. However at Fire and Safety Solutions Ltd (FASS) we feel if anything it is getting away quite lightly, after all, the reckless actions of deciding not to carry out a straight forward fire assessment to ensure your tenants are safe could so easily end up with the loss of life, something no fine or prison sentence can put a price on.

Yet one Humberside based landlord recently felt that ignoring tenants safety and saving himself a small amount of money but not having a risk assessment was the right thing to do – he will now have 5 months in prison to reflect on why this is beyond foolish and how fortunate it was that no one was killed following the serious fire that swept through one of his properties.

It is hard to imagine that anyone would feel it is appropriate to cut corners in such a manor, that endangering the very people who are paying a rent to a landlord who they believe is renting a safe and secure home to them is acceptable just to save a small amount of money. Fire Regulations are in place for a reason, to safeguard peoples lives and property – not for landlords and business owners to pick and choose which regulations they feel they would like to adhere to.

At FASS we are only to happy to work with you to carry out a fire risk assessment and to make sure you meet or exceed all current fire regulations and that your building is safe. Had this particular landlord carried out a fire risk assessment he would have been advised that that the premises were not fitted with appropriate fire detectors or alarms, there were no self closing fire doors and that general fire precautions were not adequate. An action plan would then have been created and once the issues were rectified a certificate would have been issued ahead of the property being rented. These are quite simple steps, simple steps that save lives.

If you would like further information on how FASS can help you with fire risk assessments, or would like any further information on our services, please contact us.