Fire extinguishers may be removed from blocks of flats across Britain after they were this month deemed dangerous by buildings risk assessors at two apartment blocks on the South Coast. A review of the accommodation in Bournemouth raised concerns that householders could delay their escape to try and tackle a blaze themselves. There was also concern that the use of extinguishers by untrained people could add to the danger. The report has the backing of the Dorset Fire and Rescue Service, and fire extinguishers have already been removed from Admirals Walk and the 10-storey Avon House.
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order SI 2005/1541, the managing agents of every private block of flats must hire professional assessors to carry out a risk assessment. The residents of Admirals Walk were informed in a letter from their managing agents that, "unless all residents are trained to operate the fire extinguishers, there is no legal requirement to maintain them in communal areas of residential blocks." In addition, Hamilton Townsend, who manage Avon House, confirmed they had recommended the removal of extinguishers.
Pete Whittaker, the protection policy manager at Dorset Fire and Rescue said, "As part of the assessment, the assessors now look to see whether fire extinguishers are actually required in that particular block. In some cases, they are no longer needed and provide more of a hazard being there. We do not want to encourage people to leave their flat to fetch a fire extinguisher from a hallway and then return to a blaze. We want people to get out safely. Obviously in some cases, an extinguisher could come in useful in a communal area but with new building regulations, every escape route should be completely fireproof. It very much depends on the individual property and what the assessor believes is the correct course of action."
