Covert kitchen fire safety

One of the most important kitchen "gadgets" is one that far too many people overlook completely. And no, we're not talking about a juicer.

It's easy to get caught up in fun kitchen gadgets and overlook the things that are most important--like kitchen safety. Around 60 per cent of accidental fires in the home start in the kitchen. Do you own a fire extinguisher? Do you know where it is and how to use it? Some risk assessors even went as far to remove them after they were deemed dangerous. Concerns were raised that householders could delay their escape by trying to tackle a blaze. There were also concerns that the use of extinguishers by untrained people, could add to the danger.

Automist offers an automatic and unobtrusive alternative, a fire protection device that fills the gap between fire extinguishers and traditional sprinkler systems. If a kitchen fire starts the system is triggered automatically by a wireless heat detector. Detection is based on industry standard heat detectors as recommended in Approved Document B, effectively eliminating nuisance alarms. This starts an under-sink pump which drives mains water through the unique nozzle unit, quickly filling the kitchen with dense fog, suppressing the blaze.

James Dyson said: “This simple but clever device should become a permanent safety feature in the home. Smoke alarms are essential part of modern life but have remained fundamentally unchanged for forty years. Automist not only detects a fire but can put it out as well.”

Automist was found to render a lethal environment survivable in one of the most comprehensive test suites ever run on a mist product at BRE Global. In a major furniture fire, even those immobilised in the room would have survived for the entire test period of 30 minutes. Testing has shown that Automist can extinguish small fires and greatly impedes the development of very serious fires.

Trevor Hargreaves, the Deputy Director of the Almhouse Association said, “I have little doubt in my mind that this product will have a major influence in enhancing safety within the home for many years to come....I have no hesitation in recommending this innovative product across the entire almshouse movement."

High-rise blaze in 18-storey block in Roubaix, France (VIDEO)

One person died and ten others were injured in a fire that spread rapidly upwards from a second-floor flat to the top of an 18-storey tower block in Roubaix, France, apparently via its flammable outer cladding, penetrating other apartments.

A hundred firefighters and 15 appliances attended the fire that started around 3pm on 14 May 2012, at the Mermoz Tower on Rue Dunant in the northern French town of Roubaix. The building and a nearby school were evacuated, and the crew brought the fire under control by 4.30pm. 

The victim was an elderly lady and one of the residents was seriously injured. Four apartments were directly affected by the fire, but as the building is now uninhabitable, all 250 residents are being rehoused locally. The building, also know as the Aviator Tower, is reportedly owned by a social landlord organisation. 

Although the cause of the fire is as yet undetermined, there has been some speculation that it may have started accidentally, possibly from some work being carried out on the building facade at first or second floor level.

Footage filmed from neighbouring building records the dramatic upwards spread of the fire from its origin to the top of the 18-floor building, apparently fuelled by its highly flammable outer cladding.

Source - FPA