BAFSA webinar focuses on warehouses, storage facilities and distribution centres

Fires in warehouses and large single storey buildings are more frequent than is generally thought. In fact, research has shown that one-in-five warehouses in the UK will, over the course of their lifetime, experience a fire requiring the attendance of firefighters.

While there may be fewer fires in warehousing than in manufacturing, the impact on business in financial terms can be disproportionately higher through the loss of property, stock and the costs of business interruption. All of these fires have economic, social and environmental costs for the local area, the country as a whole and industry. 

Modern warehouse/logistics management often demands the quick turnaround of consignments and it’s possible that the warehouse managers may not be aware of exactly what’s being stored. This BAFSA webinar will illustrate how the presence of sprinklers ensures that the growth of any fire will be contained prior to the arrival of the Fire and Rescue Service and allow safer access for crews to extinguish any residual burning, thus reducing the risks posed to firefighters who’ve been on standby for weeks.

Products of combustion

There are a number of other reasons for reducing fire incidents and losses attributable to fires in unsprinklered warehouses. With the ever-increasing awareness of the impact on the environment of the products of combustion and of contaminated firefighting water, a reduction of any kind would be beneficial. Products of combustion can travel extensively in the water used for firefighting, while the contaminants in smoke may be deposited several miles downwind. Likewise, water used might enter domestic or agricultural water supplies and the effects could be experienced over a wide area.

During this webinar, the speakers will illustrate how, if the installation of sprinklers is considered at the start of any building project, developers and business owners can gain a significant return on investment and ensure that people, property, the varied and valued contents of that property and specialist machinery will be protected from fire for the life of the building.
 
There will be a reflection on the financial and economic impacts of fires in unsprinklered warehouses. The direct financial implications of a warehouse fire on the national and local economy will be outlined with a focus on job losses, supply chain disruption, pollution and the potential long-term effects experienced by local communities.

Reliable and efficient
 
Delegates will also discover how reliable and efficient automatic fire sprinklers are at controlling the spread of a fire and how the presence of sprinklers ensures that the growth of any blaze will be contained prior to the arrival of the Fire and Rescue Service.

The guest presenters will be Tom Roche (senior consultant within the international codes and standards group for FM Global and secretary of the Business Sprinkler Alliance), Ian Gough (senior technical adviser at BAFSA) and Alan Crichton (design course facilitator and chair of the Technical Committee at BAFSA). 

There will be a panel discussion at the conclusion of the individual presentations in addition to a Q&A session. Questions may be submitted in advance via e-mail to: [email protected]

*Register to attend the BAFSA webinar