An evaluation of the role of fire extinguishers

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32. Pets were also found to be very influential in driving behaviours. For some, they are their only companion and were afforded the same importance as a person would be. Their wellbeing and how they were treated (even if they did not survive) matter. 33. The importance of possessions can easily be overlooked and dismissed as most objects are replaceable. Whilst that is true for many items, not all possessions are equal. For some people, a laptop may just be an easily replaced entertainment device, storing nothing of importance. For others, it may contain the only record of their personal or business records, which if lost, would severely impair their future prosperity. Mobile phones may be important both for what they contain but also because the occupier may foresee the need for one to stay in contact with friends/families during and post-fire. 34. Items which cannot be replaced are also highly valued and may result in attempts to preserve them from the effects of a fire. These may include obvious items such as photos, high-value items or something with sentimental value. Other categories include those where replacement represents significant perceived effort or inconvenience if lost, e.g. a passport or other formal documents. Preservation of valued items, as determined by the owner, is an important outcome. 35. Long-term consequences – There are also other less obvious or longer-term consequences incurred by the public. These are often invisible as they are not captured by routine data collection, potentially due to perceived difficulties in obtaining or sharing information or even institutional bias which does not recognise its value and importance. 36. This is compounded by the limited number of studies that have looked at dwelling/HMO fires from the survivor perspective to understand, amongst other aspects, the emotional/psychosocial experience and personal/extended impact. The public are exposed to many of the same (and some unique) experiences as the professional responders. And whilst the potential mental health risks to the latter are recognised, this is not the case for the public. As a result, they are unlikely to receive the support they need after the fire. Studies have shown that even small fires can have long-term or life-changing consequences and the impact of a fire is not always linearly proportional to its size. 37. It has also been found that for some people, the effects of a fire, in isolation or in combination with other life events, can be overwhelming. They then experience various degrees of difficulty dealing with everyday life and/or recovery from the fire. As a result, they suffer a form of vulnerability which is greater than the sum of its parts and can affect every part of their life. 38. Linked to emotional wellbeing is the fact that people believe they did the right thing and all within their ability to reduce the harm caused by a fire, particularly if they felt some degree of responsibility for its cause or development. How people feel about their actions is an important outcome and influence. This can be either positive or negative and relates to their own assessment and the judgement of others. 39. Avoidance of the longer-term or consequential effects is clearly a good outcome for the individual and others impacted as a result. Unlike the other categories, these long-term consequences are likely to be less appreciated at the time by the public. As such, it may not influence their behaviour during a fire, and it could be some time before they realise the true impact it has had on them. 9
40. To capture the concept of indirect harm, the definition of risk adopted by the Sendai Framework (see definitions) is helpful because of its inclusion of ‘vulnerability’. This recognises that events can have an immediate impact but also make those affected vulnerable to secondary or consequential harms. 41. Other stakeholders – Raising awareness of the public need is not denying the legitimate interests of the other/professional stakeholders. Each is invested in the fire safety ecosystem and has a vital role to play. Each will also understand what a good outcome looks like for them, both as individuals and organisations. 42. For some, compliance with legislation, regulation or technical standards will be important, others will have financial incentives or considerations, and some may need to act in accordance with client requirements. Ideally these will all align or can at least co-exist. 43. Each of these participants will usually have the means and opportunity to bring their valuable organisational and professional perspectives to the debate where necessary. Unfortunately, that is not the case for the public who rarely, if ever, directly participate in policy/industry forums and whose accounts are poorly documented in evidential or data sources. That means many decisions are made without being informed by those most impacted by the decisions: the public. 44. As such, understanding and aligning the needs of all stakeholders, or at least finding a shared aim, is a prerequisite to getting the optimal outcome for all. This requires purposeful design and cannot be left to chance or be assumed to be a natural and self-organising outcome. 45. It should also be noted that in such a complex environment, there is always the potential for conflicts of interests at an organisational and personal level. These may occur where compliance with the stated (or assumed) common purpose is detrimental, or where deviance from it provides the opportunity for benefit to individual stakeholders. Considering the presence or extent of conflicts of interest was not a feature of this research or report. It is highlighted to acknowledge they exist and are likely to have at least some influence on all stakeholders within the fire safety domain. No organisation (public or private) is entirely neutral or without their own agenda. 10
Page 4 and 5: Aim and audience This report was pr
Page 6 and 7: Definitions Dwelling fires - fires
Page 8: 10. There is limited literature and
Page 11: 25. Limiting the fire to the smalle
Page 16 and 17: 52. Between 2001/02 and 2002/03, th
Page 18 and 19: 65. In Wales: • the proportion of
Page 20 and 21: 79. This quantified modelling appro
Page 23 and 24: Human behaviour and motivation in d
Page 25 and 26: 106. It is a dilemma found in many
Page 27 and 28: 120. Surveys from the National Asso
Page 29: 133. A 2003 UK survey found that pr
Page 32 and 33: The role of portable fire extinguis
Page 34 and 35: 159. To help the end user distingui
Page 36 and 37: 174. BS 5306-8 considers that encou
Page 39 and 40: Research and data 184. The point ha
Page 42 and 43: Key findings, discussion, and recom
Page 44 and 45: 212. Response times do not appear t
Page 46 and 47: Extinguishers Findings 227. Standar
Page 48 and 49: 241. Recognition of the influence o
Page 50 and 51: REFERENCES British Standards Instit
Page 52 and 53: Harpur, A., Boyce, K. and McConnell
Page 54 and 55: LACORS (2008) Housing - Fire Safety
Page 56 and 57: United Nations Office for Disaster
Page 58 and 59: Acknowledgement The author is grate

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