Fire - the reality
Thank God for Caravan Club fire safety guidelines. Thanks to those guidelines only one motorhome was destroyed by fire early this morning. Two others were damaged by the heat, and a car was also damaged but thankfully no-one was hurt.
From when my wife woke me, just as it had started to when the fire brigade got here 10 minutes later the motorhome was already destroyed. They were leftwith nothing, not even clothes.
The next time someone moans about the spacing being too far apart might want to see what it looks like in the cold light of day, if not for that spacing people may have died, it went up that fast. I'll never visit a site that doesn't have adequate fire safety
spacing. That was damn right scary watching that.
This happened on Broadway caravan site. All the wardens were out of bed in double quick time within seconds of the alarm being raised and dealt with it in a very professional manner.
Comments
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Good post DS3, it puts it all into perspective in a real way that hits home.
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I agree JVB. Some think this spacing requirement is just rules for rules sake. Clearly it isn't.
Maybe word will now go out to wardens to actually enforce correct positioning on the pitch.
..Problem is on grass pitches without re measuring each pitch all the time it can easely be missed that some "idiot" has not "adjusted" the peg,I have noticed more sites the staff are having to"mark" the peg position
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Thank goodness no one hurt. No idea what caused it, but given what might have happened, I would say that the two alongside damaged have been lucky, very lucky. Be interesting to see if spacing is reviewed again after this.
Very glad no injuries reported, must have been very frightening for those involved and shocking to watch. Well done to fire crews and all involved.
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I understood that the six metre spacing is local planning legislation and not just the Caravan Club's own risk assessment and control measure.
Is the fire station in Broadway still operational?
..Are you sure ? if that were the case how is it other "site" do not comply,it might be a fire service request for access
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Thanks for Info DS3 as you say the spacing is there for a reason,It was reinforced two or three years ago when a c/van caught fire on another site and made stricter,Thank goodness no one was injured
Write your comments here...I'm pretty sure this was at Grange over Sands. We were there last year and wardens showed us photos of aftermath and explained this is why many of the pitches there have now become non awning pitches, ie in order to ensure full
compliance of spacing rules. They get stick from members who expect to be able to erect an awning on these pitches because they can't see any problem in doing so. Who'd be a warden?0 -
There is a man from the Caravan Club here now measuring everything, including the spacing between the vehicles.
One thing I will say, the caravan club insurance company are truly bloody disgraceful! Those poor people were left naked with absolutely nothing, at midday tgey were still being pushed from pillar to post with excuses about it not being the right phone number or the right department or the right person!
The same for the others involved with damaged cars and caravans.... they are also being mucked about by the insurance companies, both of which are also through the Caravan Club I believe!!
Absolutely disgraceful behaviour, and I mean disgraceful!!!
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I understood that the six metre spacing is local planning legislation and not just the Caravan Club's own risk assessment and control measure.
Is the fire station in Broadway still operational?
..Are you sure ? if that were the case how is it other "site" do not comply,it might be a fire service request for access
Tomorrow is correct. The regulation stems from research carried out in the early 60's. It is normally included in the terms of the site licence by the licence issuing authority and should be enforced by them. Any licensee not complying can lose their
licence to operate....How do so many places not heed it then
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I understood that the six metre spacing is local planning legislation and not just the Caravan Club's own risk assessment and control measure.
Is the fire station in Broadway still operational?
..Are you sure ? if that were the case how is it other "site" do not comply,it might be a fire service request for access
Tomorrow is correct. The regulation stems from research carried out in the early 60's. It is normally included in the terms of the site licence by the licence issuing authority and should be enforced by them. Any licensee not complying can lose their
licence to operate.As posted a few weeks ago on the Caravan Spacings on Rallies thread (under Centre News & Rallies)
The standards for spacing arise from
S5 of the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960. There are
central government model standards for static sites on the National Archives web site but that appears to be because the legislation changed relatively recently. Model standards for touring sites were published in 1983 so have not been loaded centrally
to the Internet but most councils publish their own versions, e.g. Eden Council on a link from
this page.As the standards are models they can be varied and they do only apply to licensed sites, not to CLs or rallies. Club rules (both CC and other clubs) govern spacing on CLs and rallies but tend to be based on the models in the absence of anything more appropriate.
Spacing (or lack of) at motorway services (and the motorhome "aire" at Canterbury for instance) is legal because the standards are only models, not binding requirements. Having said that, MSAs usually have a ban on the use of gas appliances anyway, especially
in HGV areas where there may be hazardous loads.Graham
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I understood that the six metre spacing is local planning legislation and not just the Caravan Club's own risk assessment and control measure.
Is the fire station in Broadway still operational?
..Are you sure ? if that were the case how is it other "site" do not comply,it might be a fire service request for access
Tomorrow is correct. The regulation stems from research carried out in the early 60's. It is normally included in the terms of the site licence by the licence issuing authority and should be enforced by them. Any licensee not complying can lose their licence to operate.
As posted a few weeks ago on the Caravan Spacings on Rallies thread (under Centre News & Rallies)
The standards for spacing arise from S5 of the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960. There are central government model standards for static sites on the National Archives web site but that appears to be because the legislation changed relatively recently. Model standards for touring sites were published in 1983 so have not been loaded centrally to the Internet but most councils publish their own versions, e.g. Eden Council on a link from this page.
As the standards are models they can be varied and they do only apply to licensed sites, not to CLs or rallies. Club rules (both CC and other clubs) govern spacing on CLs and rallies but tend to be based on the models in the absence of anything more appropriate.
Spacing (or lack of) at motorway services (and the motorhome "aire" at Canterbury for instance) is legal because the standards are only models, not binding requirements. Having said that, MSAs usually have a ban on the use of gas appliances anyway, especially in HGV areas where there may be hazardous loads.
Graham
..Thanks that throws more light on things ,I found a document from a fire service,but cannot find it again
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I always thought that there was a greater potential risk from boats as there have been a number of explosions by gas accumulating in the hold, however, they moor side by side in marinas.
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Just to allay any fears, on all the rallies and THS's I have attended, the spacing is wider than the 6 metre spacing on CC sites. On events where you site yourself the stewards will move you if you get this wrong even if you do have an awning up.
In addition, everyone is encouraged to provide a red fire bucket filled with water strategically positioned at the front of the unit.
A darned good idea if you ask me.
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I have posted a photo of a Hymer that went up in flames on another forum. It destroyed a good bit of the house behind it, scorched a circle a good diameter around it, and the gas canister was found 100 metres away!
Six metres between caravans and MHs is not enough, in any direction, especially when part of the gap is filled in with other combustible materials such as awnings, tents, cars, hedges, trees, etc...
The Club is in a bit of a cleft stick. Old sites are trying to cope with larger units, pitches are fixed due to HS layouts on some sites, and altering them and pitch spacing will cost money via loss of space/pitches, and this will mean increased prices/
less pitches.We stopped using most Club Sites in the busy periods years ago. Can't cope with how close units are, and lack of privacy. OH as a former FF has always said that if one went up it would be touch and go for pitches adjacent.
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just remember it is not all the sites Overthere that have "space" even less when families need to go