An evaluation of the role of fire extinguishers

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212. Response times do not appear to be influential on the fire size as they have increased over the same period, and yet they are still seen as a key performance indicator. The effect is to draw resources to attempts at improving the response time rather than looking at what is happening at the premises during that period and considering other ways to assist the public prior to arrival, or even avoiding the need to attend e.g. remote assistance. Recommendation 2 213. Information from real fires (whether dealt with by the public or the FRS) should be captured to develop an evidence-based understanding of fire development. Emphasis should be given to understanding the early indicators or specific situations when the public would be placed at risk of a serious injury. Human Behaviour Findings 214. Dwelling/HMO fires have attracted limited academic research, and, as a result, there are significant knowledge gaps. 215. Not everyone is at the same risk of injury. Most people are unlikely to be at risk of anything more than a minor injury, as they can assess and react to their environment, and most dwelling/HMO fires pose a low level of risk. 216. Research finds no evidence of panic in the public and in fact demonstrates a rational and often altruistic response. 217. The public do not follow official advice, which is often to their benefit. 218. Once they are aware of a fire, the public will undertake several (between one and 11) selfappointed tasks including tackling the fire. Often this will be with improvised means. 219. FRS policies do not recognise the public outcomes or ability and therefore do not routinely offer any remote support (via the 999 call) despite considering it a high risk and dynamic event. Discussion 220. There is so much of importance that is known and even more that remains to be researched regarding human behaviour when encountering fires. Perhaps, most significantly, it challenges many of the negative assumptions about the public that are embedded in legislation, guidance and services. The public’s behaviour is typically rational, effective and beneficial. The evidence of this cannot keep being ignored in favour of institutional assumptions and paternalism. Yet this finding still struggles to find popular acceptance, which has damaging consequences. 41 39
221. By recognising the motivation and capability of the public, professionals should seek to work with their behaviours. Where a specific and unacceptably high risk is identified, officials should work in conjunction (co-create) with the public to find ways to reduce or avoid this. But in deciding the tolerable balance or risk/reward, regard must be given to seeing this from the public’s perspective as well. The level of risk the public experience in most dwelling/HMO fires (and their acceptance of incurring minor injuries) is entirely comparable to other everyday activities such as DIY or driving, which individuals are free to undertake, the principle being that people should not unreasonably endanger others. Tackling a fire generally presents a low risk to those undertaking it but is also an activity which can reduce the risk to others if the fire were otherwise allowed to develop. The potential for small fires to develop catastrophically remains, as has been seen in several recent fires, including the one at Grenfell. The longer the period that lapses until an active intervention is made, the greater the risk. Therefore, the early use of portable extinguishers must be considered as an essential option in any objective and evidence-based fire safety strategy. 222. Currently the public are not recognised as the essential component of fire response that they are. If the professional services acknowledged them as partners, fire safety could be enhanced or even transformed. There is an opportunity to build on the public’s willingness and capability through taking a user-centred approach to develop the advice, support and equipment they need. In that respect, it is like the model used for cardiac arrest response by placing automated external defibrillators in the community and providing remote assistance by phone. It empowers those first at the scene to get the best possible outcome until professional response arrives, if required. This should be the model and principle for dwelling/HMO fires. 223. Reframing the relationship with the public would have important consequences for the fire extinguisher sector. Not least of which would be to see extinguishers as not just a regulatory requirement but something which is valued by the end-user to reduce or avoid the consequences of a fire. How the public tackle fires and their experience of using an extinguisher needs greater research. But ensuring the public have access to appropriate equipment, such as extinguishers, is key. Despite their success in doing so, the public are having to tackle fires with improvised means too often. Better aligning extinguisher design and marketing with actual customer behaviour and motivations, is likely to create new opportunities to expand the market for them and related services. 224. The use of standards makes an important contribution to the safety and effectiveness of extinguishers by providing a minimum criterion. The potential disadvantage is that these can discourage or impede innovation. Ideally, all standards should strike a balance between maintaining contemporary thresholds whilst encouraging continuous improvement. Recommendations 3 and 4 225. Legislation, standards, guidance and services in relation to fire safety should be better aligned to the evidence of the public’s desires, capability and contribution when encountering a dwelling/HMO fire. 226. Human behaviour knowledge, customer feedback programmes and a user-centred approach should be adopted to provide new insight into the public’s requirements in terms of fire extinguisher design, including their aesthetics. 42 0
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 and 12: 25. Limiting the fire to the smalle
Page 13: 40. To capture the concept of indir
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 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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