On Fri, 02 Sep 2005 10:24:42 +0100, Dave Jennings
wrote:

Yes, they were all applied to clean substrates - new doors in fact, so
perfect candidates. That's interesting reading on the effect omitting
this had on the fire.

While fire resistant paints normally intumesce using a "blowing" agent to
provide an insulating layer, ordinary paints give off flammable vapours
below the point at which wood ignites (ever done any paint stripping?)
There were many contributory factors, the accumulated grease and fluff at
the base of the escalator, the wooden construction of the escalator
treads, the paint, the slope of the shaft providing draught and probably
the trains below providing air by piston effect. Worst of all 20 minutes
after the fire alarms sounded there were still members of the public in
the station. You will find that LU staff have sharpened up their
evacuation technique, and after 7/7 I expect that they are even more eager
to clear stations in emergencies. The Police and Fire Brigade were of
course doomed by virtue of what they were doing (and had no knowledge of
the impending flashover), but had the station been properly evacuated the
death toll would have been lower.

I am a fire warden at work and turn into a "right little Hitler" as I have
been described when the fire alarm goes off.

John Schmitt

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