Month: October 2018

The people of Gravesham are in for a few silent nights over this firework season because their town of Gravesend has been visited by a beluga whale. The whale, named by locals as Benny, is usually a resident nearer Greenland, but it would appear that Benny has become lost on his way home. Gravesham Borough lies south of the River Thames approximately 29 miles east of London and this is where Benny has decided he wants to be for the moment. Various sightings have been recorded in this area along the Thames Estuary and Benny has become somewhat a celebrity.

The local council have decided to cancel the fireworks event planned for the 2nd November, and have also asked the good people of the area to refrain from holding private firework parties for the time-being, in case the noise upsets Benny. Residents of Gravesham are bound to be a little disappointed that this fireworks seasons will lack the usual bang and sparkle, but, hey! They are bound to have a whale of a time with Benny the beluga whale as their local celebrity bringing visitors in far and wide to catch a glimpse of this star.

Please stay safe this firework season, and remember that for animals it can be anything but fun, so make sure they are comfortable and securely tucked up somewhere quiet and calm before your party. For all your fire safety needs including fire extinguisher hire, risk assessments, installation and maintenance of fire alarms, smoke alarms, extinguishers, fire blankets and fire safety training for your staff contact us at Bath & West Fire & Safety.

After winning the BoA Business Awards last year, we felt very honoured to be shortlisted again as Best Professional Service business in our beautiful town of Bradford-on-Avon, and it was with much delight that last at the Awards Ceremony last Thursday we won this category again! Thank you for voting for us. We were one nominee amongst 129, with 19 categories, and over 3,500 people voted.

Congratulations also to all the other fantastic business ventures in the Bradford-on-Avon area, you are all stars!

Ever walked into a room which appears huge, only to realise that there are walls of mirrors which have given the illusion of space and light? The dead giveaway is that your own reflection is repeated in all directions, a myriad of you disappears into infinity. Mirrors can amaze and entertain on deception. A House of Mirrors at a fun fair amuses us as distorted images stare back at us, convex and concave short bodies under tall heads, long feet, grimaces which make us all chortle and marvel at the comic illusions of us.

For most people though a mirror is a tool to see a true reflection, if only in the opposite, and light up surroundings, and the most likely place to find a mirror is in a dwelling. A mirror in the bathroom is the most likely, followed by the bedroom. The practical use being to use it in assistance with grooming and make-up. The bedroom may have two mirrors, one a full-length to check over clothes and a further reflection so the back can be inspected as well as the front.

In a drawing room a mirror above a mantlepiece can be an addition to make the room appear a lot larger and brighter with reflected light. In a dance hall a mirrored ball can be suspended from the ceiling so that when the light hits it, thousands of sparkling diamonds can be reflected from it as it spins slowly and shines onto the dancers below creating a complex pattern of changing light.

When thinking about a fire escape route though, the placement of a mirror needs careful consideration. A staircase may be difficult to navigate in the best of times, but with the mirrored illusion of up when down or confusion as to reflection a person coming or going or where a fire is most dangerous, and can mean a panic in an emergency evacuation. A fire escape should be a clear pathway to a safe place and any sort of mirror should never be placed on a stairway or to confuse a fire exit or location of fire. Smoke with mirrors can be a lethal combination, no illusion.

Did you know that we offer bespoke fire risk assessments for your property? For all your fire safety needs including fire risk assessments, installation and maintenance of fire alarms, smoke alarms, extinguishers, fire blankets and fire safety training for your staff contact us at Bath & West Fire & Safety.

The tsunami and earthquakes that have rocked Indonesia recently have created misery and panic for this country’s inhabitants and the rest of the world has witnessed as the rescue services have battled against the force of nature.

But for the Indonesians these recent events should have come as no surprise. Indonesia is situated at the meeting of three continental plates: Pacific, the Eurasian and the Indo-Australian, and the much smaller Philippine plate, which means that as far as risks go, Indonesia is the most likely to be affected by the violent movement of the earth’s plates, in fact, around 90% of earthquakes occur within this area called ‘the ring of fire’.

One of the most notorious islands in Indonesia’s some 18,000 archipelago is the island of Krakatoa, famous for one of the most violent volcanic eruption recorded in history in 1883 which claimed over 37,000 lives in the eruption and resulting tsunami. The volcano today has an active life where clouds of smoke can be witnessed, as well as more dramatic rumbles and showers of fire. The last being very recently and on over 40 occasions in 2018, the area is under constant monitor by scientists.

The Indonesians have challenges to live with, and in these times, whenever a natural disaster occurs this creates its own problems. The infrastructure of urban living means that electrical cables can become firelighters, the water system can become a deadly river, motorways collapse as well as buildings which can be a nightmare for the rescue services and logistics in terms of rescue and aid.

Airports and seaports are given priority for repair, and slowly systems will be re-built to give these wonderful islands the recovery they need. For all your fire safety needs including installation and maintenance of fire alarms, smoke alarms, extinguishers, fire blankets, fire risk assessments and fire safety training for your staff contact us at Bath & West Fire & Safety.

Bradford-on-Avon, the original broad field upon the River Avon, is a town very much on the map of Wiltshire. Close to Bath, and dating from Roman origins, the town thrived through the wool trade. Blessed to be on the River Avon, and surrounded by sheep, wool, and the wealthy merchants selling the cloth via the elegant houses which made up the centre of the town, Bradford-on-Avon became a town of many contrasts with rows of tiny terraced houses and narrow passageways weaving through the town to make up its character.

The town has been a magnet to tourists and residents over the years. Now in 2018 it is home to pubs and bed and breakfasts, restaurants and cafes, shops and virtual business centres. A friendly railway station is a welcome landmark in the centre. Bradford-on-Avon has moved with the times yet retains its welcome.

Innovation continues to thrive in Bradford-on-Avon. The rubber factory has closed, and so has the mushroom farm, along with the wool trade which brought the town its character. But now there is the Moulton Bicycle Company, canal and narrowboats, a thriving high street, with shops, tea rooms, beauty parlours, and creative spaces, start-ups and long established and much-loved businesses … and visitors, all keen to see the beauty of the town.

Our business, Bath & West Fire & Safety, your local fire safety expert has been here for over 25 years, serving the town of Bradford-on-Avon, as well as far and wide in the South of England. Please vote for us as your favourite business in our town. https://www.boabusiness.co.uk/awards/ Voting closes this Sunday!