Accidental fires ‘can be prevented from becoming tragedies’

There are four steps to protecting people and property and saving lives in a fire, according to a leading safety expert keen to cut down on the number of blaze-related tragedies in the kingdom.

Frank A Ryde, the founding director of Alpha Fire and now CEO of the holding company, Alpha Safety & Security, believes even accidental fires can be prevented from becoming tragedies by simple measures taken in advance.

Mr Ryde, pictured top right, said: “There are four main steps to remember about fire safety, they are preventing, detecting, containing and escaping. 

“Preventing or minimising the risk of fire breaking out is of paramount importance and is easily achievable if all concerned take necessary precautions like training, testing of electrical appliances, banning smoking, keeping lighters and matches away from the reach of children and other simple, good housekeeping measures.

“Should a fire break out accidentally, then detecting it is very important as every second saved through early automatic fire detection could save lives and property, as it can facilitate swift evacuation of people from the area.

“Any trained person able to use firefighting equipment can try to contain a small fire and prevent it from becoming a major disaster.”