• Why do people have this mindset

Thinking that a disastrous event will never happen to us comes down to a number of things. The first reason people think this way is because they don’t like to think about it at all. Thinking about this issue will undoubtedly result in a person realising they need to take action. This type of mentality often leads to people taking shortcuts to avoid doing what’s necessary, making life easier for themselves rather than thinking of the consequences.

The other main reason people think this way is because of the fact that, historically, they may never have previously encountered ablaze in their lives. People are less likely to fear something they’ve not endured, resulting in people being unprepared.

Additionally, our modern media and entertainment sources have possibly desensitized people to fire, explosions and other such dangerous risks. In making these incidents seem outlandish, presenting them as entertainment, many will feel that it’s only something that happens in movies – not a threat in real life.

• Why is this a risky mentality

Those who take this kind of attitude towards fires are often given a nasty surprise when something does eventually go wrong. Some people end up taking so many shortcuts to save time and money that when a disastrous event does occur, they are totally out of their depth. Contents and buildings can be wiped out in a short space of time and, even worse, people can often lose their lives when corners have been cut.

That’s not to say that every business is eventually bound to have a fire because of their attitude. Even those who try not to cut corners, but still maintain a fire won’t happen on their premises, don’t account for freak accidents – whether it’s faulty wiring which causes a blaze or an act of arson by someone outside of the business, you can never really be sure of what will cause a fire, making it all the more important to cover all the bases.

• Who has faced loses

There are plenty of examples of where this mentality has backfired on people in the worst possible way. From across the UK, we have collected several examples of businesses who have said “it won’t happen to me” when it comes to fire safety and paid the price.

New Look, Oxford Street, 2007 – Two breaches of the law in regards to fire safety saw this popular high street retailer fined the maximum of £400,000. Insufficient training and storage blocking exit routes were the breaches discovered after a blaze gutted the store – a double whammy of losses.

Plant Hire Yard, Enfield, 2016 – London Fire Brigade reported that 21 firefighters attended a plant hire yard in Enfield where three diggers were lost to ablaze. The cause was thought to be a fault with a diesel compressor, with no discernable system in place to prevent a fire from taking hold. This was undoubtedly costly in terms of both the loss of machinery but also for any business downtime caused.

Chelsea Residential Ltd, Chelsea, 2015 – In this instance, the landlord of the establishment was found to have breached regulations, leading to one tenant having to leap from the first floor when a fire broke out. Fined almost £50,000, it was found the property lacked smoke alarms, fire doors or a protected fire escape route.

Hallmark Hotel Group, Cheshire, 2008 – Found to be lacking a single working fire alarm, proper staff training, as well as having faulty detectors and substandard fire exits, all of which meant the luxury hotel company were landed a whopping £75,000 fine after a routine visit from firefighters.

The Atomic Weapons Establishment, Aldermaston, 2010 – After a fireball burst in an employee’s face in 2010, the warhead and nuclear deterrent company were fined £200,000. This is a particularly concerning event due to the severity of the incident and the nature of the industry.

• Protect your business from the risk of fire

All these incidents and others like them could have been prevented if the proper regulations and procedures were in place. Where fires broke out, tailored suppression systems from Fireward could not only have saved lives, but they could also protect property, machinery and livelihoods.

By simply investing in fire safety equipment and preparations in the above instances, the parties concerned could have avoided expensive fines and business downtime. By saying “it won’t happen to me” they have put lives at risk and have since had to pay far more in legal costs than the cost of simply taking a healthy approach to fire safety and fire suppression for their business.

Fireward, Protecting People and Assets 24/7.

To find out more about how Fireward’s Automatic Fire Suppression systems, get in touch by calling 0800 151 0249 or email at: sales@fireward.co.uk.