Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 14th June, 2018

14th June, 2018.

No, really … 

I’ve got something serious for you.

That’s if you don’t mind me burbling on about my street?

Here … 

That video’s the result of many things.

Partly?   It’s a response to the Grenfell Tower fire: today’s the first Anniversary, so you know.

But ALSO … ?

If you don’t mind me being blunt, it’s ALSO a response to the area I’m in.

I live in Brentwood: near the station.

My particular part of the area has — as I feel the video shows— always been heavily congested: with parked cars impeding any emergency vehicle access.

That’s something that’s been concerning me for the decade I’ve lived here.

And something — if memory serves — that also affected emergency vehicle access around Grenfell Tower, this time last year.

The congestion is something I thought — initially — wouldn’t last long.   The other end of Rollason Way was still a building site, when I moved in.

How long, I asked myself, would it stay a building site?

About three years, as it turns out.

Now … ?   The congestion’s being caused — mostly — by parked cars and delivery vans … 

And the building work around the corner.

The more things change …

~≈§≈~

That’s ONE thing.

The other?

We have what’s called a ‘stay put’ policy in place.

In other words?   In other words, if a fire breaks out in one of the flats on Rollason Way, other people are supposed to stay in theirs.

The compartmentalisation in these buildings is supposed to protect us.

One thing I DO know?   Is that the Grenfell Tower enquiry has highlighted the fact that — when it was refurbished a few years ago — the various works done affected this compartmentalisation: meaning the fire spread faster.

The blocks, here, haven’t been refurbished: they’s still relatively new.

But?

That was enough for me to contact my landlord: to see if the policy was to be reviewed.

I’ve not heard back.

Oh, I’ll contact my landlords.

And possibly the fire brigade.

But it is rather worrying … 

~≈§≈~

As is one final thing.

RIGHT now, the BBC are reporting a fire in a block of flats in Lewisham.

One that sounds like it could’ve been worse.

The report … 

Highlights the fact the alarms hadn’t gone off.

Don’t even get me started … 

We don’t have communal fire alarms …

~≈§≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 15-6-2017

Twelve people are dead, who were alive, yesterday.

As you know … ?

Grenfell Tower, a hi-rise in North Kensington, burnt to death, yesterday.

Twelve of the residents are known to have died as a result.

Residents were either jumping from windows: or throwing babies out, in order to save them

And many more are either in hospital … or missing.

Yes, I think saying the Tower has burnt to death, is the correct way of putting it.   It’s a community that’s died, as much as any of the inhabitants.

There’s talk.

Apparently?

The cladding used to insulate the tower has, apparently, been link to other hi-rise fires.   Smoke and fire alarms were, reportedly, inaudible.   And, apparently, gas pipes weren’t boxed off, correctly.

Obviously, there’s multiple factors involved.

Personally?

I’d love to know how that started.   I can only hope it wasn’t deliberate … 

~≈®≈~

Equally as personally?

I’m wondering what would happen on my street, Rollason Way, should a fire start?

I couldn’t tell you.

I’m no expert on fire regulations, fire safety, what have you.

I do know I lived in a Housing Trust bedsit, many years ago.   Basically, a room in a four-bedroom flat: with a shared kitchen, bathroom, and living room.   Whilst it didn’t have fire extinguishers, it did have a fire blanket in the communal kitchen.   So if the chip pan went up, you could put it out.

I lived in a bedsitter on Ingrave Road: run by Brentwood Council.   You had a bed-sitting room, a kitchenette, and a bathroom: and had access to communal gardens, and a shared laundry room.

I don’t recall if we had a fire blanket in each flat: I think there were, but it was a while ago.   There were fire extinguishers in the corridors.

You could, in theory, grab one, and do something.

Here in my Housing Association flat?

I have no fire blanket provided by my landlord: although I don’t know if the current regulations support that.   

There are no fire extinguishers in the corridors: again, I don’t know if current regulations are for or against that.

There is, in my building?   A Certain amount of compartmentalisation: you can shut a door to stop a fire spreading.   But no clearly marked fire exits.   There are in other building in the area, built at the same time.   

That’s before you get to an issue I’ve brought up on this blog for years,

That the parking on Rollason Way means emergency vehicle access was incredibly difficult: when I moved in, ten years ago.   It hadn’t improved, a few years later.   It’s just as bad, now, if not worse: new flats going up will add more parked cars, and impede access further.

I hope a building on my street doesn’t burn to death.

It … 

Well … 

We residents will have problems.

~≈®≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 14-6-2017: A Love Like Blood …

I think late nights are getting to me!

I actually had a night off, last night.

Watching the opening episodes of series one of American Horror Story.

Interesting stuff, American Horror Story: although the pilot episode wasn’t the thing the completely convinced me.

Personally?   I think I’m going to have to watch a bit more.

But the fact each series of AHS released so far has a different theme, plot and cast?

Has intrigued me.

~≈Ê≈~

If you’re in the UK, right now?

You’ve probably seen the news that Grenfell Tower, in North Kensington?

Has, quite literally gone up in smoke, overnight.   With at least fifty people in hospital … and talk of fatalities.

The scary thing, for me?

I work in a call centre in Chelmsfold: one that takes calls from various social landlords.

If your boiler goes wrong, your landlord’s obliged to fix it.

And, if it’s an emergency repair — you’re a vulnerable person whose heating has just gone, there’s an uncontainable leak or you’ve been locked in or out — we’re the people you’d end up talking, to get an engineer out.

One of those landlords?   Is the one that handles Grenfell Tower.

Something’s gone very wrong … 

I can only hope there’s as few deaths as possible, as a result.

~≈Ê≈~