By JONATHON HOWARD
THREE minutes is all it takes for a fire to destroy your home or business and not having a fire plan can be life threatening.
That’s why staff from Noosa Today were put through their fire training on Wednesday 23 July, by experienced fire preparation and prevention expert Russell Mayne.
Mr Mayne is a Tewantin local and operates North Coast Fire Protection.
He is qualified to equip staff members and residents with a fire safety plan, fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, evacuation plans and fire blankets – but he’s also an expert on the unseen fire dangers.
One of Mr Mayne’s lesser known tips was: “never put water on an oil fire”.
“If you have a fire on the stove in oil, for example, the last thing you want to do is throw water on it,” he said.
“Because oil floats the fire will spread and I’ve seen cases where an oil fire has exploded from thrown water.”
Mr Mayne said the best option would be to put the lid back on the pot – “if it’s safe to do so”.
“Or use a fire blanket to cover the oil and starve the fire of oxygen,” he said.
Mr Mayne spent almost two hours demonstrating the dangers of fires and some of the more silly responses to fire hazards through a video presentation.
He also gives participants the chance to use fire extinguishers and put their new skills to the test.
North Coast Fire Protection is available for quotes or more information by phoning: 0412 617 816.
Residents can also phone the Noosa Heads Fire Station for advice on (07) 5473 8484.
In emergencies residents should phone triple-zero.
