Exciting Times Ahead for our Expanding Fire and Safety Business

Tuesday 1st February 2022

In the 20^th Anniversary year, Safelincs Fire & Safety continues to expand and recruit. Rapid growth and a passion for innovation have led to a recruitment drive to find the right people to add value to our fantastic team.

20 years of growth and expansion

Safelincs has grown and expanded year on year, moving into a 5-acre site in central Alford, Lincolnshire in 2018. Now, with 78,000 sq. ft. of office and warehouse space, our dedicated workforce of over 70 staff work hard to fulfil the fire and safety needs of our customers, offering innovative products and solutions.

With 3-year sales growth of 49%, Safelincs has seen rapid growth and has expanded to trade internationally as well as in the UK. As the UK’s largest online fire and safety retailer, our 6000+ products can provide solutions to customers from many business sectors as well as protecting homes and occupants.

20th anniversary celebrations — Staff enjoyed good food and entertainment

Recruiting for the future

With great customer care at the forefront of our company policy, the need to expand the customer service team to maintain our high standards is of primary importance. After winning East Lindsey District Council’s Excellence in Customer Service Award in 2019, our customer service team has gone from strength to strength. Our 5-star Trustpilot and Google reviews are a testament to their dedication.

Other teams across the business continue to grow to allow for innovation, product development, and expansion of our range across all sectors. The busy Products department is continually working with suppliers to ensure that our range is forward-thinking and at the forefront of the fire safety industry. Testing and quality-checking products is also an important part of the process so that our customers always receive excellent value for money.

technical team on a web link — Web development team using the live video link

Forward-thinking

To stay ahead of developments, we invest a lot into technical solutions. We have a dedicated web development team of four staff members split between our Alford HQ and our Hull office. They manage our websites and other bespoke in-house systems and software. In total, we have developed over 56 websites, as well as innovative software solutions, such as our fire door configurator, which enables our customers to order and get instant pricing on bespoke fire doors with a range of finishes and glazing options. To stay in close communication with each other we have a live video link between the two offices. This allows the team to communicate as if they were working in one space.

Hit the road with our Business Development Team, Engineers and Installers who travel across the UK meeting customers. They advise on fire safety and complete installations of all kinds of fire safety equipment from extinguishers to evacuation chairs. Our Business Development Team can also be found representing Safelincs at exhibitions and showcasing Safelincs’ products and services.

fire extinguisher installation — Fire Extinguisher Installation at a Holiday Park

The Safelincs stand at the Fire Safety Event in 2021

It’s all hands on deck in our warehouse with staff working hard to process stock arriving from suppliers. Orders get safely packed and delivered on time to our customers. To update and improve our warehouse spaces we have just completed a roof replacement. Now lots of natural light flows into the main warehouse.

Warehouse packing bay — A packing bay in the warehouse

Ongoing innovation in fire safety

Not-for-profit and charitable work also continues to play a big part in our business. Most recently, our technical team have been busy building an ambitious fire prevention tool (Online Home Fire Safety Check) in partnership with the National Fire Chiefs Council for use by Fire Rescue Services. This is currently being rolled out across England and is a great example of our innovation in the industry. This tool will be used by the fire service to offer advice on fire prevention within the home.

Jobs at Safelincs

We are currently looking for new members of staff to help Safelincs grow and develop further. Do you think you could add value to our team? If you would like to be a part of our journey, view jobs at Safelincs to apply for one of our vacancies. Or send your CV to jobs@safelincs.co.uk

Mel Saunders

Head of Marketing

Mel joined Safelincs in 2020 and leads the content and marketing team.

Latest Posts by Mel Saunders

Maintained or Non-Maintained Emergency Lighting?7th June 2024
Reasonable Adjustments in Schools14th March 2024
Why is my smoke alarm beeping?13th December 2023

Bonfire Night: Top Safety Tips

Friday 22nd October 2021

Bonfire night can be a time for family and friends to gather and enjoy autumnal nights outside. Whatever you’re planning for 5^th November this year, read our top bonfire and firework safety tips for Guy Fawkes Night.

How do you keep safe on bonfire night?

Rather than run the risk of lighting a fire or fireworks at home, attend an organized event if you can.

Wear gloves when holding sparklers — Hold sparklers away from your body and wear gloves

If you do plan to celebrate bonfire night at home, follow these top tips to stay safe

Always follow the fireworks code
Keep pets and young children away from bonfires and fireworks
Store fireworks securely in a metal box away from anything that could ignite or cause a spark
If you are using sparklers, always wear gloves, hold them at arm’s length away from others and place them in a bucket of cold water when they are finished
Have a Watermist Fire Extinguisher to hand. They are non-toxic, leave no residue to clean up and can be used on wood, paper, clothing and electrical items
Build bonfires away from garden sheds, fences and hedges
Never use flammable liquids such as lighter fluid or petrol to start a bonfire and never light the fire in high winds
Always supervise your bonfire and extinguish it using a bucket of water if it is still burning when your celebrations have finished
Keep a bucket of water or hosepipe nearby
Keep a burns kit or first aid kit at home in case of minor burns or injuries

What do I need for bonfire night?

We recommend the following additional safety items for bonfire night:

Have a St John Ambulance Burn Kit to hand on bonfire night

Can I store fireworks that I don’t use?

It is not advisable to store fireworks for any length of time at home as they are explosives and could be very dangerous. If you are intending to store fireworks, ensure they are kept dry in a metal container. Store them in a place where the temperature does not change significantly (for example not on a window sill) and away from anything that could ignite or cause sparks such as electrical items, heaters, matches or lighters. Make sure they are not stored near other combustible materials like card or wood and place them out of reach of children and pets. Always follow manufacturer guidelines for storage periods.

Fire safety in schools

Tuesday 8th March 2016

We have created a helpful guide for school leaders and staff with fire safety responsibility in schools to condense the confusing legislation and recommendations that exist and have turned them into an easy to understand fire safety guide for schools. The article, created by a very experienced fire risk assessor with many years of experience in inspecting schools, addresses:

Current situation with regards to arson in schools
General fire precautions in schools
New school buildings and fire safety
What to do should your school experience a fire
Examples of typical fire safety violations in schools

Being the fire safety provider of choice both for the Church of England and the Catholic Church, one of Safelincs’ key roles is to supply fire safety goods and services to the thousands of faith schools, amongst others, in the UK. Providing guidance and support is just part of this. We offer schools many opportunities to save costs and to improve fire safety provision at the same time. To benefit from this support offer, contact support@safelincs.co.uk or ring 0800 612 6537. We are happy to help.

We also offer fire risk assessments for schools at very good rates. In addition we provide free fire risk assessment forms as well as free online fire safety log books with automatic reminders, suitable for organisations with multiple sites and numerous responsible staff members.

If you would like to talk to us about the fire safety needs within your school call 0800 612 6537.

Keeping a fire door open legally… and safely

Thursday 6th November 2014

Dorgard Fire Door Retainers Fire safety company Safelincs operates a website called firescout that invites visitors to submit photographs of any potentially dangerous situations they have spotted. All entries are anonymous, the idea being to educate rather than ‘name and shame’. Safelincs then offers advice as to whether the situation could incur a fine and how much, if anything, it would cost to remedy the situation.
A common misdemeanour is to prop open a fire door, sometimes with a fire extinguisher – a double transgression!

Fire doors are an essential part of the fabric of a building and have two important functions in the event of a fire; when closed they form a barrier to stop the spread of fire or smoke and when opened they provide a means of escape. They are designed to be kept closed except when people are passing through them. In some businesses, and in places such as care homes or schools, closed fire doors can act as a hindrance to general mobility and moving around to perform essential tasks. However, there is a way in which the situation can be overcome without compromising safety or breaking the law.

Safelincs provide a number of products manufactured by specialist manufacturer Fireco which allow fire doors to be kept open legally and safely. Each of these products works by responding to the sound (anything above 65 decibels) of a fire alarm; the mechanism holding the door open is released and the door closer on the fire door closes it to prevent the spread of fire and smoke spreading around the building.

Dorgard, the first innovative product from Fireco, is a wireless appliance that can be screwed to the base of a door in less than five minutes. The standalone device will then hold the door open at any angle allowing freedom of access throughout the building. Utilising acoustic technology, Dorgard ‘listens’ for a continuous alarm of 65dBA or higher which, once heard, will automatically release the door. Dorgard is available in a variety of colours and finishes which will blend in with any décor.

Fireco also produces the Dorgard Pro System which extends the versatility of Dorgard by linking several different devices and overcomes the issue of noisy workplaces. A transmitter is wirelessly installed next to a fire alarm sounder or hardwired into the fire alarm system. In the event of a fire, Dorgard Pro will wirelessly transmit simultaneously to multiple Dorgard Pro units within a 100 metre range. Safelincs will visit an organisation’s premises and undertake a free survey and make recommendations for siting an effective system.

Another product from Fireco is Freedor, a unique wire free solution that allows a door to free-swing just like a normal door and to be held open at any angle – automatically closing the door in a controlled manner when a fire alarm sounds. It utilises the same technology that is employed in Dorgard but is fixed unobtrusively to the top of the door. Using Freedor allows freedom of access throughout the building for disabled people and people less able to operate the doors, and assists businesses complying with the Equality Act 2010.

All these products have applications in a wide variety of environments and allow easy movement through a building without compromising safety or contravening fire safety regulations.

To find out more about the Fireco range go to www.safelincs.co.uk and follow the link to Fire Door and Exit Equipment or call 0800 433 4289 where there are friendly experts on hand to offer advice.

Fire at National Archives highlights need for document protection

Thursday 6th March 2014

Sentry-SFW123CSB-fire-and-waterproof-safe-1 A recent fire at the National Archives in Kew, home to some of the UK’s most important historical documents, was tackled by 20 firefighters. The blaze was caused by two disused water towers at the site in Richmond, South-West London.

The National Archives is the official UK government archive and publisher and holds 11 million historical documents of national importance, some dating back more than 1,000 years. Among its collection are the Domesday Book, parchments, electronic records, photographs, posters, maps and paintings.

Fortunately everyone was evacuated from the building safely and no documents were damaged although the building was closed to the public for a short period for recovery.

This type of incident focuses people’s attention on the importance of preserving key documents and items of irreplaceable value, not just for large national institutions but also for businesses and individuals. For this reason more and more people are looking at ways to preserve such items in the event of a fire.

Safelincs has a range of solutions ranging that start with fireproof document boxes for under £30 and go right up to high capacity fire safes for storing computer media and files.

And, in the light of recent floods we are increasingly being asked for safes that will provide water protection as well. We have a range of fire and waterproof safes for paper documents and digital media that start at under £200. These fireproof safes with water protection have UL certification and have passed submersion testing to ensure their suitability.

Free fire extinguishers for customer

Wednesday 30th October 2013

free-replacements Safelincs supplies Handelsbanken, a leading Swedish Bank with over 700 branches in 24 countries, 147 branches of which are in the UK, with fire safety products such as fire extinguishers. Purchasing fire extinguishers from Safelincs gives Handelsbanken full protection. Should the extinguishers ever be used, Safelincs will immediately replace the extinguishers. So, when on the 21st of October a CO2 fire extinguisher was used by the fire brigade in one of the Handelsbanken branches, Safelincs immediately replaced the extinguisher, free of charge.

We want our customers to use their fire fighting equipment without ever having to worry about the aftermath. This applies not only to extinguishers – all fire safety equipment bought from us used on or affected by fire is covered by our free replacement guarantee.

BS 5839-1 fire alarm system standard explained

Thursday 15th August 2013

fire-alarm-panel-kits BS 5839 Part 1 ‘Fire detection and fire alarm systems for buildings. Code of practice for design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of systems in non-domestic premises‘ is the key Standard for commercial fire alarm systems with central control panels. It helps customers and installers to specify, design, install and maintain fire alarm systems.

It is a substantial document and to help our customers find their way through it we have created a summary of the Standard. The summary covers:

Why might I need a fire detection / fire alarm system for my premises?
What are fire detection and fire alarm systems?
What is meant by ‘category of system’?
What are the main design considerations for an appropriate fire detection / fire alarm system?
What are the main installation issues?
What happens once the installation is complete?
Commissioning, documentation, and certification
Maintaining the system: what is involved?
User’s responsibilities and premises management: who does what?

Safelincs, the UK’s most progressive and customer friendly fire safety company offers its customers nationwide maintenance of fire alarm systems as well as a range of fire alarm system components:

Conventional fire alarm systems
Addressable fire alarm systems
Fire alarm accessories, including specialist infrared and ultraviolet detectors

For quotations for a new fire alarm system, please ring our friendly customer care team on 0800 612 6537.

To arrange your fire alarm system maintenance visit, please ring 0800 612 4827.

P50 Popular at FM Show at NEC

Thursday 30th May 2013

The P50 service free extinguisher turned more than a few heads on the Safelincs stand at the recent Facilities Show at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham.

Facilities managers who attend the annual event are always looking for innovative ways to cut costs and provide better service for their clients. They didn’t take much persuading to see the benefits and potential savings offered by the P50.

Traditional extinguishers require servicing each year but P50s are constructed using a composite material that will not rust or corrode. This protects the contents and no discharge testing or refills are required for ten years. The expensive annual service by an external engineer is no longer necessary– just a straightforward yearly test that can easily be carried out by an organisation’s in-house staff.

After ten years the P50s can be refilled and used for a further ten years.

Safelincs’ managing director, Harry Dewick-Eisele was at the show and had the opportunity to speak to many facilities managers. “Those with responsibility for large estates could see savings running into thousands of pounds,” he said. “A good number were going back to their offices to weigh up how quickly they could replace their existing appliances and start cutting costs.”

What To Do If Your Clothing Catches Fire

Friday 8th February 2013

According to statistics published by the East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service in 2012, around 80 people die each year in in the UK after their clothing catches fire.

If your own clothing catches fire you should take the following course of action:

STAY where you are—moving or running feeds air to the flames and worsens the fire.
DROP to the floor—if you stand up, the fire can burn your face. Fold your arms high on your chest to protect your face.
ROLL slowly on the floor or ground, in a rug or blanket if you can.
COOL off as soon as possible with water for first and second degree burns. *

If you are in the position of helping somebody else whose clothing has caught fire you should apply the steps above. In addition there is one type of fire extinguisher that can be recommended for such a situation. See the video.

The Jewel E-Series Water Mist Fire Extinguisher is a new type of extinguisher, which works by dispersing microscopic ‘dry’ water mist particles to suppress fires and extinguish burning materials, The speed at which it takes effect, combined with the rapid cooling it induces, make it the perfect extinguisher to have to hand should a fire of this nature break out.

Jewel E-Series Water Mist Fire Extinguishers are the first broad-spectrum fire extinguishers. They can be used on almost every common fire including deep fat fryer fires. They are perfect for kitchens, as they contain no harmful substances and leave no residues. The extinguisher’s supersonic nozzle disperses microscopic ‘dry’ water mist particles to suppress fires and extinguish burning materials. The 35kV dielectrical test ensures that the extinguishers can be safely used near electrical equipment.

*In a serious fire room temperatures in a fire can be 100 degrees at floor level and rise to 600 degrees at eye level. This heat can melt clothes to a victim’s skin. Never peel the clothing off – leave the treatment to medical professionals.

What power consumption do emergency lights have?

Tuesday 26th June 2012

When comparing power consumption of emergency lighting, and more specifically comparing LED lighting with standard lighting, it is important to understand some of the terms used and what they actually mean in this context. Sometimes you will see the power consumption documented in W (Watts) and sometimes it will be stated in VA (VoltAmperes). Whilst this looks confusing, it is comforting that both terms are actually identical. Multiplying the Voltage (V) of the electrical supply with the Amperage (A), which represents the current flowing through the light, gives you VA (VoltAmperes) which represents power consumption and is actually the same as the ‘Wattage’ (W). So VA equals W; they are just different ways of saying the same thing.

For this blog we will be comparing a CS8 maintained emergency bulkhead with an X-GSA LED maintained emergency bulkhead as they are very similar units, although they have a very different power consumption (also the CS8 produces light output of 100 lumens, whilst the X-GSA produces a slightly lower 85 lumens. This difference, though, is negligible.).

The CS8 contains an 8W T5 lamp which, as the name suggests, consumes 8 Watts. The ballast (the electronics that run the unit and the trickle charge for the backup battery) consumes 12 Watts, which means the CS8 in maintained mode consumes 20W.

The X-GSA contains 12 white LEDs which together consume 0.9W. The ballast consumes 2.6W, which means the whole unit in maintained mode consumes 3.5W.
That is a difference of 16.5W, which is huge when you consider that maintained lights are lit constantly. So, a CS8 in its maintained mode is consuming over 5 times more energy every hour than the X-GSA!

It is also important to know that LED emergency lights last substantially longer than fluorescent tubes. An LED bulb will last over 5 times longer than a traditional fluorescent light.

Generally speaking LED emergency lighting is more expensive than the traditional equivalent, but when you factor in the substantially lower power consumption and the lower maintenance needs of LED lights, they are actually more cost effective in the long term.