Let’s be honest, Winter fire safety is not something that gets people excited, but it should. We have been doing this for years across Lancashire, and every single Winter we see the same pattern. Things go quiet from September through October, then November hits and suddenly everyone is panicking about their fire alarms and heating systems.
The problem is, by the time people start worrying, it is often too late. You are running your boiler hard for months without it being serviced, your heating system is working overtime and Christmas lights are plugged into dodgy extension leads. All of this adds up to genuine risk, and frankly, we would rather help you avoid that headache than deal with the aftermath.
Heating Systems Are Not Your Friend in Winter
Your boiler is basically ticking over all Summer doing nothing much. Then Winter arrives and you turn it up to full blast for months. If it has not been serviced recently, you are gambling. Blocked vents, faulty thermostats, components that are worn out. These things cause fires. They do not announce themselves either, you just wake up one day to flames coming from your heating cupboard.
We have seen it happen in Blackburn, Burnley, Darwen, and everywhere else across Lancashire. The scary part is that most of these fires are totally preventable. A simple service before Winter kicks in, a professional check of your system, and you have basically eliminated that risk.
Electrical Fires Are More Common Than People Think
Once November arrives, people start using more stuff. Heaters in offices, heated blankets at home, Christmas lights everywhere, defrosters running… your electrical system gets hammered. If you’ve got dodgy wiring or overloaded circuits, that is when things go wrong. We see electrical fires in businesses all the time, and most of them come down to people not having a clue what their system can actually handle.
This is not about being paranoid, it’s about understanding that when you load up your electrics, things heat up, literally. Old wiring struggles and joints in circuits that were fine in July start causing problems in December.
Your Fire Alarm System Is Probably Fine But You Should Check Anyway
Here’s the thing about fire alarms, they work great until they don’t. You’ll have no idea they don’t work until there is an actual fire. Most systems people have are perfectly sound, but the battery is flat or nobody has tested it since it was installed three years ago. Winter is peak demand season for fire alarms. If something is going to fail, it happens when everything is running hard.
We can come out and check your system and we don’t care who installed it originally. If your current provider left you hanging or you just want someone to actually test the thing properly, ring us. We audit the whole setup, make sure every detector is working, check the monitoring side is live and give you a report on what needs doing.
For businesses it’s a no brainer. You run your operation hard in Winter and you can’t afford a fire. For care homes and schools it’s even more critical because you have got vulnerable people on site. The cold weather also means exits might be blocked with snow or ice, which changes your evacuation planning.
Winter Risk Is Real in Lancashire
We work across Lancashire and we have seen what Winter does. Blackburn gets cold, Burnley gets icy and Darwen gets hit hard. When temperatures drop, people do things they would not normally do. They leave heaters running, use fires they have not used in years, they daisy chain extension leads together because they need more sockets. Accidents happen faster in Winter.
We have put systems in place across schools, care homes, hotels, warehouses and businesses. We know what needs to happen to keep people safe when the temperature drops. We also know that most people are not thinking about this until something goes wrong.
What You Should Actually Do
Don’t wait until December when half of Lancashire is trying to get their systems checked, do it now. Get your boiler serviced, have your electrics audited and get someone professional to test your fire alarm system. If you are in Lancashire and you want us to come check things over, call us. We will give you an honest assessment and tell you what actually needs doing versus what does not.
We have been running 24/7 across this region for years. We know the risks here. We know what works and if something goes wrong at three in the morning on a January night, we are still here.
Winter is coming, make sure you are ready for it.
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