Disabled person deeply concerned with fire from his second floor flat?

tacpot12

A central fire alarm will not necessarily be of great assistance to a disabled person if they can't evacuate without assistance, but it will wake them up and allow them to prepare.

A central alarm system will require someone to take responsibility for testing it on a regular basis.

New sprinkler systems are available that work off ordinary water pipes and create a mist that is very effective at knocking down fires, and does less damage.

But for your friend, having a 60minute fire door and being on the second floor is the best protection. The fire brigade had trouble at Grendel House because they had to walk up 20+ floors! I think you should reassure your friend that they are not in any imminent danger, and help them to put pressure on the landlord to install a central alarm so that someone can call the fire brigade.

Making friends with able bodied people in the block would be another safeguard. If I knew my neighbour would have trouble with evacuating their flat, I would ensure they were awake and ready to leave in the event of a fire.

Well done for supporting your friend.

Mojisola

poppy12345 wrote: »

I'm surprised he doens't already know the safest exit in case of emergency.

trinidadone wrote: »

Why are you surprised a disabled person does not know how to vacate a building safely in an emergency?

I was surprised as well.

Even when our children were small, we had evacuation plans in case of fire which they knew about - what to do if we were downstairs or trapped upstairs.

Now, as someone with limited mobility, I think it's even more important to know how to keep myself safe, both at home and if we stay elsewhere.

w06

likewise my dogs are trained to tell me the smoke alarm is going off and then go outside, everyone does have a responsibility for their own safety as well as the corporate responsibility of landlord where htere is one

trinidadone

tacpot12 wrote: »

A central fire alarm will not necessarily be of great assistance to a disabled person if they can't evacuate without assistance, but it will wake them up and allow them to prepare.

A central alarm system will require someone to take responsibility for testing it on a regular basis.

New sprinkler systems are available that work off ordinary water pipes and create a mist that is very effective at knocking down fires, and does less damage.

But for your friend, having a 60minute fire door and being on the second floor is the best protection. The fire brigade had trouble at Grendel House because they had to walk up 20+ floors! I think you should reassure your friend that they are not in any imminent danger, and help them to put pressure on the landlord to install a central alarm so that someone can call the fire brigade.

Making friends with able bodied people in the block would be another safeguard. If I knew my neighbour would have trouble with evacuating their flat, I would ensure they were awake and ready to leave in the event of a fire.

Well done for supporting your friend.

Having caring neighbour is good, but he is unable to use stairs.

LadyDee

OP, whilst not minimising your and your friend's concerns, being on the 2nd floor of a block should not be too concerning, in contrast to the recent tragedy, and the latest events will have a been a wake up call to both tenants and hopefully landlords in respect of fire safety, the most important thing is that the doors are all 60 minute doors - and ensure they are shut - especially from the kitchen where most fires start.

Don't go to sleep leaving a washing machine or dishwasher on, double-check cooker switches are off.

Additionally, check interior fire alarms in the flat regularly, ensure a fully charged moblie phone is always to hand.

All these are normal fire prevention measures that really all of us, in a wheelchair or not, should be following.

Fire is so frightening because of its unpredictability but being on the 2nd floor means that firefighters would have quite easy access to it.

I have a friend in a mansion block and all her doors are fireproof and have automatic closures.

I live in a new park home and none of my double glazed windows have locks - I believe this is for safety reasons for easy escape (or opening if you can't actually get out yourself) - too easy to lose keys! They do shut securely though.

(If your friend is vulnerable have they considered having a personal alarm to alert an emergency centre if they needed emergency help?)

IAmWales

venison wrote: »

Following recent tragic events my bet is that within the next 12 months all 4200 social housing tower blocks will be fitted with sprinkler systems.

My local council have already said they don't have the funds to do it. Hopefully central government will allocate extra funding for this purpose rather than telling authorities to reallocate funds from elsewhere.

cantcope

I think if he is now unable to vacate the building alone in the event of a fire he needs to move or have a permanent carer there.

I have a few "buddies" at work for if there is a fire here (i'm on the sixth floor and wouldn't manage the stairs". However, there will always be someone here to help. That may not always be the case in a residential block.

For the people that have said they are surprised, i was too. i'm not a troll, i am disabled, i haven't always been. Safety has always been at the forefront of my mind though so while i am surprised I'm not shocked as some people have different priorities. Disabled or not you should know a safe exit in the case of fire.

I have an open mind, perhaps you need to open yours too that some people might be shocked that another human being only thinks of their safety after a tragedy.

Lee.d_2

Dear trinidadone, firstly a massive respect to you for looking out for a fellow colleague, I think it is very honorable of you. You remind of the pictures we saw on the tv of the local community helping each other, so well done.

Secondly, I want to apologise on behalf of fellow moneysavers who keep banking on about "surprising" all the time. I want to put this to bed now as it is unhelpful, and boring. we should be looking at what you are doing, and not making judgement, which even fellow disabled people on here have carried out which is very "surprising". I would like you to "surprise" us with some further information, if you can. Do you know how long your colleague has lived in the block, and when his disability came to light?

teddysmum

B_G_B wrote: »

I am a wheelchair user and have recently had a home visit from my local fire brigade. I think that most (all) fire brigades will do this as a free service. Well worth it.

You don't have to be disabled to request an assessment.

trinidadone

Lee.d wrote: »

Dear trinidadone, firstly a massive respect to you for looking out for a fellow colleague, I think it is very honorable of you. You remind of the pictures we saw on the tv of the local community helping each other, so well done.

Secondly, I want to apologise on behalf of fellow moneysavers who keep banking on about "surprising" all the time. I want to put this to bed now as it is unhelpful, and boring. we should be looking at what you are doing, and not making judgement, which even fellow disabled people on here have carried out which is very "surprising". I would like you to "surprise" us with some further information, if you can. Do you know how long your colleague has lived in the block, and when his disability came to light?

Hey thanks for the message, and support. My colleague has lived in his flat for 30 years, when he moved in he was able to use the single flight of stairs which are in the block and single lift which is in the block. Very recently his mobility has been so challenging for him, that he is unable to us the single flight of stairs at all, and again only very recently he has discovered he is unable to use the lift unaided. Combined with the horrific fire, I care about my colleague very much, and thought I would ask some questions on his behalf. There has been some good advice, and some "surprising" advice as well (no pun intended)