10 replies to this topic

[Pinky]

Poppy ban at remembrance service


Fire inspectors say the poppies are a fire hazard

Councillors in the Black Country are to fight a health and safety ban on plans for a poppy shower at a Remembrance Day service.
Sandwell Council had planned to drop the poppies from the roof of West Bromwich Town Hall at the service on 14 November.

But fire inspectors said the paper poppies could constitute a fire hazard and the shower should be cancelled.

The council says it will do all it can to reinstate the tradition.

'Strange decision'

Keith Davies, the council's cabinet member for community, neighbourhood services and safety, told BBC Radio WM: "I will be pursuing this to see where they're coming from and I'm going to see the actual problem area.

"Even if it means I've got to do it myself and take a fire extinguisher, I'm determined it's going to go ahead.

"Poppies will be falling on 14 November."

The paper poppy shower has been part of West Bromwich Town Hall's Remembrance Day celebrations since before World War II.

The issue arose after inspectors from West Midlands Fire Service said they were unhappy with the way in which the poppies were distributed from the roof space of the town hall.

They said storing the poppies there could constitute a hazard and trap people if there was a fire.

But Mr Davies said: "It seems very strange that we have been doing this for the past 50-odd years and all of a sudden, it's a health and safety issue."

The decision comes after several decisions relating to the banning of bonfires in the West Midlands to celebrate Guy Fawkes Night.

[pH_14]

[Prop Idol]

Poppy ban at remembrance service
The paper poppy shower has been part of West Bromwich Town Hall's Remembrance Day celebrations since before World War II.

:offtopic: Celebrations? Wrong choice of words there methinks. Comemorations perhaps.

However, the world is going mad. I await the PC clan banning Rememberance Day soon.

[Hotlush]

I await the PC clan banning Rememberance Day soon.

Err, this has nothing to do with Political Correctness.

They've seen a risk, told them it's a risk and if they do it and someone does go up in flames the accident group (or whatever they're called) will be round before the embers have stopped smoking. Don't blame Health and Safety (or for some bizarre reason, Political Correctness), blame people who are too stupid to live suing at the drop of a hat because of their own stupidity.

[civdef]

A couple of hundred kilos or so of tissue paper poppies would constitute a fairly major fire hazard, if incorrectly stored. There should be ways of mitigating the risk however, instead of going of to the media and whinging about tradition etc, the council could consult with the fire inspectors and agree on a suitable fire safety strategy to allow the event to continue safely.

But Mr Davies said: "It seems very strange that we have been doing this for the past 50-odd years and all of a sudden, it's a health and safety issue."

Particularly stupid comment. Just because something's been done in a particular way for the last 50 years doesn't mean it's safe.


Anyway, the cynic in me suggests this is just a politician getting a handy sound-bite, and they'll be getting the matter sorted sensibly in the background.


(Edited to fix tortured syntax)

Edited by civdef, 26 October 2004 - 03:28 PM.

[PCmonkey]

The issue arose after inspectors from West Midlands Fire Service said they were unhappy with the way in which the poppies were distributed from the roof space of the town hall.

They said storing the poppies there could constitute a hazard and trap people if there was a fire.

West Midlands Fire Service have a duty to prevent accidents, and this is all they are doing. As Civdef says, paper is a very combustible material, and if there was a fire for some reason, it would literally be raining fire on people. Paper also pyrolises very easily, and so it would not take a great deal of heat to create a fire. The fire service have not said they can't drop poppies, they have an issue with the way it is stored, which is most probably highly justified.

[Hotlush]

This bit appears to have been added after;

The issue arose after fire inspectors said they were unhappy with the way in which the poppies were distributed from the roof space of the town hall.

Jim Onions, from West Midlands Fire Service, said they had a legal requirement to act after concerns were raised by a worker at the town hall.

He told BBC WM the issue was about the "wholly inappropriate" method of getting to the roof space for the six workers who would have to release the poppies.

Mr Onions added: "If there were to be a fire, these people would have to crawl backwards and down the vertical ladders. We can't allow their safety to be compromised.

"Just because it hasn't happened in the past, doesn't mean it can't happen. There are no fire alarms and no sprinklers (in the building).

"If we were to allow this to continue and there were a fire and somebody was injured or killed, you would be demanding answers from ourselves."

[YazzyB]

sorry biggest load of pap ive read in a long time
if a few kilos of tissue poppies are a fire hazzard what about the 1000's of tons of fireworks that are let of each year and cause relentless accidents maimings ,scarrings and sometimes even deaths hey ho lets ban guy fawkes night !!!!!!
yes they may have identified a h&s issue but would it not be more constructive to offer advice and practical help to resolve the issue rather than just saying stop it. like making sure all the boxes are fire retardent and that there is an adequate sprinkler sytem installed where it is being stored get a grip

[PCmonkey]

Trilux read what Hotlush has posted. If the town hall were to change the method they will use, West Mids Fire would have no problem, however as it stands at the moment, they cannot allow it.

[DKNwhy]

Madness in my opinion.. Why don't they just drop really poppies?

[Tom]

the problem was not the dropping of the poppies it was the storage prior to dropping them thats how i understood the situation .