THE DANGERS of fires at waste and recycling plants was the subject of this workshop, along with means of mitigating these risks.
Ian Gough of the British Automatic Fire Sprinkler Association (BAFSA) opened the session, highlighting that fires at waste and recycling facilities are a serious and growing problem. They can take a lengthy period of time to extinguish and can involve a major response from the fire service. He pointed out that 200 firefighters had to battle the blaze at a recycling centre in Smethwick.
In addition, the fires often cause extensive local disruption and can be very damaging to the environment. Mr Gough said that in his experience fire and rescue services treat waste fires as low risk, as there isn’t a big risk to life safety. He feels strongly that this position needs to change, as the risks to property and the environment are large and this has economic implications too. He also bemoaned that legislation doesn’t take these risks seriously enough either.
Mr Gough went on to say that more needs to be done to reduce the risks of fires taking place at waste sites. Suppression technology such as sprinklers and watermists systems can play an important role in extinguishing fires before the spread. These systems need to be properly tested and there needs to be a standard approach from fire and rescue services about the type of connections needed on water tanks thatcan be connected to fire appliances.
He concluded by saying that if the government is unwilling to place an enforceable code of practice on the industry, then the recently created FPA joint code of practice for reducing fire risks at waste management sites is a good starting point.
Fire service view
Angus Sangster from the London Fire Brigade (LFB) concurred that waste and recycling fires are a growing concern. One of the key issues that needs to be addressed is the fire risk posed by stacking arrangements. Across many sites where fires have broken out there have been ‘mega stacks’, which are several metres high. Mr Sangster said: ‘These stacks can burn for ages; in Romford one has been smoking for two years. More sensible stack heights need to be introduced at all waste sites and they should be separated by concrete blocks. Waste also needs to be properly sorted upon delivery.’
He conceded that fire and rescue services still don’t properly understand the technicalities of waste fires, and need to get a better grasp on flame height and temperatures. The LFB has now commissioned a substance testing project at the FPA’s fire laboratory, which will provide information on mass burn rates and the physical behaviour of waste materials, obtain the radiated heat flux and sample air quality.
It is hoped that this information will provide guidance on how to deal with specific types of waste fires and whether it’s better to extinguish the blaze or let it burn out. Mr Sangster said: ‘Sometimes extinguishing fires can have a detrimental effect on the environment, so we need to get a better understanding of how to manage these situations.’