Newcastle takeaway blaze highlights need for fire safety training
The owner of a fish and chip shop in Tyne and Wear that was severely damaged by fire has urged other business owners to make sure all of their staff undergo extensive fire safety training.
Sid Appleby was forced to close his business, the South Gosforth Fisheries fish and chip shop in West Moor, after a fire broke out on the premises. The blaze caused so much damage to the building that the business could not reopen for three months.
Mr Appleby has now warned other business owners that the same unfortunate situation could happen to them if they don’t make fire safety training a priority. He said:
“I want to use this opportunity to tell other people who work with deep fat fryers and oil filtering machines to regularly carry out staff training regarding their maintenance processes and to make sure they do fire safety drills. I cannot emphasis enough how important it is to maintain your equipment.”
This advice was supported by Tyne and Wear rescue service, which encouraged businesses to make sure they and their staff are fully prepared for fire and other emergencies.