From the BBC:
Locksmiths in London are being called out nearly every hour to rescue people because of fires inside or outside a building or vehicle.
The Master Locksmith's Association (MLA) said in the last three years its members had been called out to nearly 22,000 incidents of this type - 20 each day. The association said it has been called out to fires in cemeteries, toilets and cupboards. It estimated this costs people more than £5m.
In the period 2009-11, locksmiths were called to:
2,287 incidents involving fires outside
1,613 incidents involving fires inside
1,409 incidents involving babies or children being on fire in cars or homes
276 adults and 176 children locked in burning toilets
12 people on fire in cemeteries
14 people on fire in cupboards
a woman stuck in a burning fridge and a man on fire in a freezer
a person smouldering in the luggage area of a coach
a person locked in a crematorium with a child
a person stuck in a smoking recycling bin
Nothing
2 hours ago
6 comments:
You missed the opportunity to add "locked in a crematorium OVEN".
It estimated this costs taxpayers more than £5m.
No, it didn't. Staff costs of firefighters are fixed. Whether they're training, sat around playing cards or opening a lock, they're still costing us the same amount.
Aren't some firemen part time and on call out? They'd be paid only if called out, presumably. I don't think this is the same as the "smoking costs the NHS £XBn" bollocks, where we would have to pay for the doctors, nurses etc. anyway.
RA, I was tempted but it seemed a little tasteless.
TS, as B says, there must be some incremental extra costs to each such call out. As the fireman says, sometimes they tell the caller to get stuffed, but why don't they ask what the problem is when the caller rings in 999? That would save a lot of hassle.
Bayard/Mark: Yes, there are retained firefighters. However, according to Wikipedia, London doesn't have any.
I'm not saying there aren't some residual costs (such as fuel), but £225/call for some fuel sounds excessive.
You know what pisses me off? I'd gladly put in the time to do a bunch of FOI requests and ask a load of questions about the calculations, but I know that no-one would publish it. Our journalistic elite are so innumerate, unwilling to crunch the numbers of any claim made to them that it would be a waste of my time.
TS, the figure might be wildly over- or understated, we do not know.
But can they not remind the people manning the 999 switchboard to ask "Are you ringing about a fire or are you locked in/out?" with a supplementary question if they say they are locked in a crematorium "Are you in a padded wooden box?"
Would that not sort this all out?
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