National Trust selects P50 Water Mist extinguishers for UK holiday cottages

Bob Bantock, Operational Risk Business Partner and National Fire Specialist at the National Trust, oversees fire safety across the organisation’s 600 UK holiday cottages.  He shares how the adoption of P50 fire extinguishers was driven by a commitment to long term cost-efficiency, environmental sustainability and enhancing the guest experience:

“The National Trust offers holiday lets in beautiful locations across the country.  Our properties vary in size and style, but are often two-bedroom cottages with a lounge and kitchen for self-catering getaways. Naturally, our guests expect a high standard of cleanliness, quality and tranquillity.

Of course, the safety of our guests is paramount, and by law we have a number of fire safety measures in place in every property, including clear escape routes, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and the provision of fire blankets and fire extinguishers, which are typically fitted in the kitchen or hallway. However, we’re also keen to offer a relaxing stay with minimal intrusion, and that was becoming increasingly difficult with the previous fire extinguishers we had in place.

We first tried dry powder fire extinguishers, but soon found issues with residue and contamination if they were ever discharged.   The powder was a real problem to clean, infiltrating everything in the room, even getting inside the cupboards.

AFFF foam fire extinguishers weren’t much better because the foam needed replacing every five years, with hazardous waste disposal eventually costing more than the extinguisher itself. It became cheaper to buy a new one than empty and re-fill an existing one, which clashes with our sustainability objectives.

But above all, the biggest headache was that both the dry powder and AFF foam came in traditional metal cylinders which can corrode and need servicing every year.  It was costly to send service technicians to remote locations, and we found ourselves continually apologising to guests that their holiday would be interrupted by a service visit.

The P50s contain de-ionised water, which means when they are discharged, there’s almost no residue to clean up. They are multi-purpose and suitable for both Class A fires and electrical fires. Crucially, the cylinder is made from composite materials which don’t corrode, so they don’t need annual servicing, just regular visual inspections by our own staff.  After 10 years, the P50s are refurbished, and then good to last another 10 years.

It means we’ve been able to train our change-over staff to inspect the extinguishers as part of their comprehensive checks carried out between guests.   They always have a list of things to check, such as clean towels and welcome pack, wood for the log burners and checking smoke alarms.  Simply adding fire extinguisher checks to this list has been much more convenient than arranging service visits, and avoids disturbing our guests.

Britannia Fire was also able to help in providing us with new fire blankets as part of our contract.  Conveniently, these also need replacing every 10 years, so it means we’ll be able to undertake the refurbishment and replacement of the fire extinguishers and fire blankets at the same time. When managing 600 properties, these kinds of efficiencies have a big impact.

As well as convenience, the P50s are also bringing us cost-savings. Whilst they were more expensive to purchase initially than traditional metal models, we calculated that without the cost and disruption of servicing we’d break even by around year three and now we’re making considerable savings for the remaining seven years until they are refurbished.

Another key consideration is that the P50s align well with our sustainability goals.  These units have a 20-year lifespan and are fully recyclable. The elimination of dozens of engineer journeys to our remote cottages for servicing also helps to reduce carbon emissions. At the National Trust we are careful to consider the environment in every decision we make, and are committed to sustainable procurement practices.

We’re now six years into our contract with Britannia Fire and are really pleased with the service, the convenience and the cost-savings we’ve experienced so far.  These extinguishers are a great example of innovative, sustainable thinking in fire safety, supporting the Trust’s environmental goals, whilst safeguarding our visitors.