Wheelie Bins

Wheelie bin fires are a long standing concern for Merseyside Fire And Rescue Service, not only in relation to environmental factors but also the potential to cause serious injury to residents.

Police launch kill probe on arson deaths of couple
Echo Reporter
Liverpool Echo

Tuesday, December 7, 2004

The deaths of an elderly couple after a fire at their home is being treated as manslaughter.

Grandparents Hugh and Elizabeth Higgins, of Martland Road, Belle Vale, died within days of each other in the early hours of November 18.

The fire was started in a recycling box on top of a wheelie bin.

Today Chief Inspector Greg Wood said: "We are treating this as a manslaughter inquiry, but it will have the same resources as a murder inquiry."

Mr and Mrs Higgins's two sons, who were also in the house at the time, tried to rescue their parents but were driven back by smoke.

The area has been plagued by arsonists over recent months.

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service offer the following advice;

Never store bins close to doors, windows or service intakes – any fire in the bin could easily spread to your property.
Wheelie bins should be stored securely behind locked gates.
If a secure location is not available the wheelie bin should be closed and secured away from buildings.
Bins should be placed on the highway on collection day and returned to your property as soon as possible after emptying.

Arson – The Major Threat To Places Of Worship.

Individuals may break into places of worship to seek shelter, i.e. vagrants and fires may be started accidentally or deliberately. Religious artefacts or equipment can be the attraction as they can be sold for ready cash, by starting a fire the culprit is hoping to remove evidence of their presence.

As with schools, shops and other business, steps can be taken to work towards preventing incidents of arson in places of worship;

Responsibility.

A designated individual should take responsibility for the security arrangements of the premises and perform their own risk assessment to identify potential risks and methods of controlling those risks. The police and fire service should be informed of even the most minor fire, as this could be an indication of further serious incidents.

Prevent Unauthorised Entry Into Buildings.

This is the first line of defence, if someone cannot enter the premises there is less chance of incidents occurring. If there is no caretaker available, perhaps parishioners could perform this role on a rota basis and ensure keys are return to the rightful person at the end of the day.

All points of entry, doors, windows etc should be locked when not in use and items of any value securely locked away. Neighbours should be encouraged to contact the police if they see any suspicious activity around the premises.

Reduce The Opportunity To Start a fire.

Ensure that there is no combustible material readily available for individuals to use to start a fire. This may be especially relevant to church halls which are used for recreational purposes. Refuse containers should be kept locked if possible and secured away from the premises. Any candles or fuel substances should be locked away when not in use.

Reduce Potential Fire Damage.

Consideration should be given to installing sprinklers in the premises along with an automatic detection system and by keeping all internal and escape doors free from obstruction and closed.

Close Down Procedure.

The Most important steps in fire prevention are good housekeeping and a proper closedown procedure. The following checks are recommended:

All flammable materials are locked away;
All valuable equipment is secured;
No cash is left unsecured overnight;
All rubbish/waste has been removed from the building and placed in secure storage;
Everyone has vacated the premises and all rooms, especially toilets, have been checked for anyone hiding;
The external lighting is working correctly;
All windows are shut and locked;
All internal doors are closed (to prevent the spread of fire); this will lead to a reduction in the amount of damage should a fire occur.
The intruder alarm and fire alarm systems have been correctly set;
All the external doors have been secured;
Gates along the perimeter are secured.

Commercial Properties.

The threat of arson is ever present for shops and business alike, however, there are steps that can help alleviate the potential for such occurrences.

As a person responsible for fire safety, the manager or owner should perform their own risk assessment on the premises in an attempt to identify ways in which individuals could start a fire and attempt to eradicate this possibility.

It is a fact that the majority of shop fires begin outside the premises and therefore concentration should be given to the possible build up of combustible materials in this area, if it isn’t there they can’t set fire to it!

Questions to ask are; has there been a history of smaller fires at the premises or do you have knowledge of fires being set in the area? This could be an indication of an accelerating problem and by contacting the police or the fire service there is potential to address the problem at an early stage.

Prevent Unauthorised Entry Into Premises

The majority of vandalism usually occurs under the cover of darkness. Therefore, care should be taken not to provide intruders with ‘working light’ in concealed spaces or recesses.
Try to limit the number of entrances or exits in use but do not lock fire exits.
Staff training should promote the need for vigilance and instruct staff to inform the relevant authorities if they have concerns. Perhaps it would be beneficial to employ a security patrol for larger commercial premises. Also advice should be sought on obtaining a closed circuit television system, information on this can be obtained from your local crime reduction officer.
The prompt removal of graffiti ensures that vandals or arsonists are not immediately attracted to the premises, as it doesn’t pose as an obvious target for anti-social behaviour.
Ensure that all locks to windows and doors are in full working order and any gaps under doors should be as small as possible to prevent lighted ignition sources being pushed into the premises.
All external combustible storage sites should be secure and emptied on a regular basis.
Install an Automatic Fire Detection System with consideration to the installation of sprinklers also.

Vehicle Arson.

The number of deliberate car fires in Merseyside for 2003 – 2004 stands at 3256 which is a reduction of 8.5%, the first substantial decrease in ten years. The fire investigation protocol set up between Merseyside police and fire service, launched in may 2004 has increased detection and prosecution for these arson offences and is considered to have contributed to the noted decline in incidents. However, despite this decline vehicle fires still account for over half of the arson fires that the fire service attends each year.

The statistics on deliberate vehicle fires are quite dramatic;

80% of car fires are deliberate and are essentially to cover up criminal activity or to make false insurance claims or plain acts of vandalism.
There is increasing evidence to show that vehicles may be deliberately set alight by their previous owner due to a depression in the second hand car market and a lack of incentive to repair defects.
Lease cars have a mileage limit, when exceeded instead of incurring the charge per mile, these cars are set alight.

Cube it / Car Take Back.

These schemes are aimed at impacting on crime reduction and raised awareness of arson across the 5 districts within Merseyside. ‘Cube it’ and ‘Car Take Back’, are two of the most successful schemes to remove abandoned vehicles off the streets as quickly as possible. Vehicle removal takes away the opportunities and temptations for vehicle arson.

Ways To Reduce The Risk Of Your Car Being Set Alight.

Leave your car in a well lit place.
Do not leave your keys in the ignition.
Fit and use an anti theft device
Always lock doors, windows and boot.
Don’t leave property on show.
Report abandoned cars to the police.

Juvenile Fire Setting.

It is evident that arson can be strongly linked to youth disorder. The ODPM Burning issue report estimates youth disorder is responsible for 39% of vehicle arson and 36% of property arson.
In Merseyside between 2001 – 2002, of the 213 individuals found guilty or cautioned from arson under the criminal Damage Act, 52% were under 20 years of age.

Incidents can range from children’s playing with matches to sheer acts of vandalism and Merseyside Fire And Rescue Service have in place various youth engagement programmes to address the variety of arson related issues. to view MF&RS Youth Engagement Click here.

You can also assist in our drive to prevent arson by reporting any suspiscious or malicious activities in your area.

Its simple! Click on the icon to the right and complete the online form.