Sprinkler firm steps in to help disabled Redruth boy (From This is The West Country)
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Sprinkler firm steps in to help disabled Redruth boy
12:00pm Saturday 23rd February 2013 in Cornwall
Jon, Mason and Bev Blight (front) with (back row left to right) Tracy Hocking from Mandara Sprinklers, Kevin Thomas from CFRS, Des Tidbury, chief fire officer, councilor Judith Haycock, and Stan Barber from Mandara Sprinklers
A severely disabled boy from Redruth will now be safer in his home after a local businessman stepped in to fit free sprinklers in the property.
12-year old Mason Blight’s disabilities means he lives in the ground floor of his home as he is unsafe on the stairs. As his bedroom is next to the kitchen – the room most likely in any house for fire to break out – the Blight family were put in touch with Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) for further advice.
“As Mason is unable to use the stairs safely, we provided a grant to make adaptations to the home to enable him to live on the ground floor,” said Lynette Segers, from the council’s disabled children’s and therapy service.
“Further fire safety advice was needed to increase Mason’s safety in the event of a fire and so I referred the family to Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service.”
As a result, fire officers carried out a fire safety check at the property, to ensure smoke detectors were in the most suitable location and give specific fire safety advice.
“Following our visit to the family, we resolved to do all we could to help make sure Mason could stay safe,” saidKevin Thomas from Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service.
“As a sprinkler system would give the best level of protection, we got in touch with Stan Barber at Mandara Sprinklers who then very kindly agreed to provide a sprinkler system free of charge.”
“We have worked with Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service for many years to promote the benefits of sprinkler systems,” said Stan Barber, owner of Mandara Sprinklers.
“A sprinkler system is designed to save lives. Sprinklers are positioned to activate quickly and each head is a self contained unit operated purely by heat. In the event of a fire the heat will activate the nearest sprinkler head and within minutes the fire is under control. In most cases fires are extinguished by one sprinkler head.”
“The sprinkler system has given us peace of mind,” said Mason’s dad Jon.
“Mason wouldn’t understand what to do if the fire alarm went off and so this extra protection is a great relief.”
“We are very grateful to Stan for his very kind donation,” added Mason’s mum Bev. “He did an excellent job fitting the sprinklers – they are very discreet and you wouldn’t know they were there.”
