Can anyone advise on the requirement (if any) for fire extinguishers in holiday lets please?

The owner has provided Dry Powder extinguishers but there have been comments from fire officers to say that these should be removed as the occupiers will not have been trained in their use. This sort of makes sense, but obviously leaves no provision in place. Any suggestions?

Many thanks.

You do need an extinguisher in a holiday let, one for each floor should be sufficient in small lets but that may be subject to risk assessment in larger or multiple occupancy buildings. They should be placed near exits, signed and instructions for their use placed by them. Powder is the best multi purpose extinguishant.

Opps should have read "Whilst I would in no way class myself as a fire specialist"

oh for an edit button ;-0

I worked for 32 years in a busy fire brigade (23 of them squirting water on the fireground).

During that time, I witnessed scores (perhaps > 100) of people who sustained injuries such as burns or smoke inhalation during fire-fighting attempts using buckets of water, tea towels or picking up pans etc to extinguish a fire in an ad hoc way as they had no access to proper FFE

I also witnessed perhaps < 12 people (some had been trained, others not) who sustained injuries whilst using firefighting equipment, including 4 x fully trained hospital staff using a hosereel for far too long in a smoky one room fire .

OK, I accept that this is not exactly scientific evidence, but is the risk of an untrained punter using an extinguisher incorrectly higher that letting people do their own thing during a fire? Are there any stats to back up the idea that in low risk premises, supply of FFE raises the risk of injury??

In a fire, many people will instinctively 'have a go' - even if not trained or having access to extinguishers. So I ask you, does the provision of a DP extinguisher in these circumstance pose a real & significant risk to untrained punters, or does it in fact give them some level of protection compared with an ad hoc attack on the fire by smothering with coats etc etc.

Of course it depends on the circumstances of course, but in this example of a holiday let - or in the ubiquitous cases of extinguishers in common parts - should the fire safety community adopt a little more relaxed attitude??