What do the authorities think of the Fire Safety Stick?
Do the Fire Service know about these?
These are common questions we are regularly asked about the Fire Safety Stick and understandably so, with such a new innovative product which is revolutionising fire safety not just here in the UK and Ireland, but all over the world. And it’s gaining more momentum each day.
Well, you could ask Kent Fire and Rescue Service. They currently have 75 Fire Safety Sticks installed in their officers’ response vehicles across the county!
“Get Out, Stay Out and call the fire service”, is the advice they quite rightly stress upon members of the public. The reason is simple, they don’t want you or I, risking our own safety as well as potentially others by trying to tackle a fire without the correct training. For example, there are many different types of extinguishers and it is crucial that the correct one is used, get it wrong, and they put lives at risk, potentially making the fire worse – for further details of the right type of extinguisher see here. For these reasons, the fire brigade would prefer you leave it to the professionals, don’t try to be a hero fighting fires that are too well established.
So, the fact the professionals are now carrying the Fire Safety Stick says it all! However, don’t expect the firefighters to be extinguishing a blazing building with it, remember the Fire Safety Stick is all about dealing with fires just as they start and before they become established. For example, if a fire breaks out in the kitchen whilst cooking or a chimney fire starts in your log burner, then the Fire Safety Stick is ideal for you and I to use, dealing with the fire whilst we wait for the fire service to arrive.
Actually, during various public shows that the Fire Safety Stick team have attended introducing it to the United Kingdom, many were purchased by individual firefighters to protect themselves and their own families.
These compact light and durable fire extinguishers are ideal for vehicles. And now Kent Fire and Rescue Service have installed them in all their officers’ response vehicles, replacing the heavy large and extremely fragile, pressurised, dry powder extinguishers they previously carried. This means that in the unfortunate event of them having a vehicle fire, or even coincidently, coming across the start of another vehicle fire, they can use the Fire Safety Stick which is not only highly effective but leaves no additional damage to the vehicle (preventing a likely write-off), plus it is completely safe around humans and animals alike, as well as clean for the environment, unlike those powder extinguishers.
Working with emergency services specialists Woodway Engineering, who are an approved distributor for the Fire Safety Stick, as well as being Kent Fire & Rescue Service’s vehicle conversion supplier, installed the compact fire extinguishers for KF&RS. In fact, although the first to install, they aren’t the only regional fire service to consider carrying the Fire Safety Stick. Other fire services across the country have authorised their installation to various vehicles, and others are reviewing their own plans to replace the traditional extinguishers they are currently carrying in their vehicle fleet. And it is not just the fire services who have taken a keen interest, but other emergency services, including various police forces and regional ambulance services too. So if the Fire Safety Stick meets their requirements, for effectiveness, versatility and ease of use, shouldn’t you be considering carrying one too? It’s already being carried in 300 vehicles for The Post Office and various other private company fleets, as well as on plant machinery.
Although, the cost of the Fire Safety Stick will initially be more than for example, a 1kg dry powder extinguisher, the cost benefits soon come into play, with the Fire Safety Stick having a shelf-life of at least 3 times that of the powder and it needs no annual servicing. The annual servicing is quite a significant factor since it typically involves the expense of external companies having to carry out the servicing as well as additional admin time for the fleet managers.
That is even without considering the damage a dropped or knocked pressurised extinguisher can make within the vehicle, or even the clean-up operation in the event of a minor fire. There have already been several documented cases of cars being able to be driven straight after minor engine fires having been extinguished by the Fire Safety Stick, having carried out some safety checks first of course.
Sergio De Michele, owner of the Fire Safety Stick business added “We are delighted that Kent Fire and Rescue Service have decided that our revolutionary fire extinguisher should be installed into a section of their fleet vehicles, replacing their existing stock of dry powder extinguishers. I am particularly proud, since it also aligns with our campaign of #SaveSomeonesLife with better fire safety education for all, not just in vehicles but in particular within all our homes. We know that products like the Fire Safety Stick in the home will really make a difference not only in protecting our possessions but also our lives.”
Many thanks to the team at Woodway Engineering for sharing this, and another successful rollout of the Fire Safety Stick. There are going to be more within the emergency services in the coming months.
Just one of the fleet vehicles for Kent Fire & Rescue Service carrying the Fire Safety Stick
Positioned for fast, easy access but without getting in the way for the vehicle occupants
