http://www.artipot.com/authors/18/jon-butt/ Latest articles by Jon Butt from Artipot - your one-stop resource for free articles. http://www.artipot.com/articles/261444/canal-barges-are-they-as-fire-safe-as-houses.htm Following a serious canal barge fire in October 2007, which killed a man near Tamworth, this article considers the issue of fire safety on board canal barges. Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:04:48 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/261444/canal-barges-are-they-as-fire-safe-as-houses.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/256309/winter-weather-increases-risk-to-fire-safety.htm As the UK has experienced the coldest start to a winter for more than 30 years, this article discusses the increased risk of fire in the home and what can be done to reduce this. Sat, 27 Dec 2008 04:27:57 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/256309/winter-weather-increases-risk-to-fire-safety.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/255769/furniture-fire-safety-some-shocking-revelations.htm A look at how some furniture that is being shipped into the UK from Polish factories, is illegally displaying the necessary statutory safety labels. Fri, 26 Dec 2008 13:23:33 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/255769/furniture-fire-safety-some-shocking-revelations.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/253136/no-to-fire-protection-equipment-as-it-is-too-unattractive.htm A discussion of the vanity that people feel towards the items that they choose to include in their home and the fact that this often means a big compromise where fire protection equipment is concerned. Sat, 20 Dec 2008 04:06:17 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/253136/no-to-fire-protection-equipment-as-it-is-too-unattractive.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/249045/boozy-nights-out-lead-to-many-kitchen-fires.htm When people have been consuming copious amounts of alcohol their judgement will be impaired and this can and does lead to a significant number of kitchen fires. Sat, 13 Dec 2008 00:51:57 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/249045/boozy-nights-out-lead-to-many-kitchen-fires.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/249031/christmas-fire-safety-tips.htm Tips on how to stay fire safe over the festive period, where we face a considerably increased risk. Sat, 13 Dec 2008 00:30:01 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/249031/christmas-fire-safety-tips.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/248536/fire-protection-systems-which-should-work-at-sea-and-in-port.htm A look at how inadequate fire protection equipment claimed the lives of three fishermen. What can be done to ensure that this does not happen again. Fri, 12 Dec 2008 06:54:58 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/248536/fire-protection-systems-which-should-work-at-sea-and-in-port.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/248529/the-regulatory-reform-fire-safety-order-2005-taking-the-necessary-action.htm In light of new fire safety legislation, a look at how you can avoid being caught out with a big fine for failing to comply. Fri, 12 Dec 2008 06:46:49 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/248529/the-regulatory-reform-fire-safety-order-2005-taking-the-necessary-action.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/245092/would-you-know-how-to-handle-a-kitchen-fire.htm Having suffered a serious kitchen fire, I realised that I would need suitable fire protection in the future. I investigated the best types of fire extinguishers. Sat, 06 Dec 2008 00:41:02 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/245092/would-you-know-how-to-handle-a-kitchen-fire.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/245089/how-fire-safe-is-your-place-of-work.htm Considering the amount of time that I spend within my office environment, it concerned me that nobody seemed to spare any thought for the fire safety around me and my colleagues. Sat, 06 Dec 2008 00:37:33 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/245089/how-fire-safe-is-your-place-of-work.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/245081/ideal-fire-extinguishers-for-use-in-your-home.htm When my daughter started a small fire in her bedroom, I realised that I would need to look into the best types of fire extinguishers for use around the home. Sat, 06 Dec 2008 00:22:53 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/245081/ideal-fire-extinguishers-for-use-in-your-home.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/244576/have-you-got-adequate-fire-protection-in-your-garage.htm A friend suffered a serious garage fire. This compelled me to evaluate the fire protection within my own garage. Fri, 05 Dec 2008 05:39:37 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/244576/have-you-got-adequate-fire-protection-in-your-garage.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/202001/goodbye-fire-blankets-of-old-the-great-asbestos-cleanup.htm Anyone familiar with old movies is familiar with one sight: the asbestos curtain in theaters, slowly lowered over the stage. Asbestos used to be the country's miracle material, the chief product in fire blankets, insulation, and anything that needed to be protected from fires. However, the miracle material turned quickly into a nightmare. Mon, 15 Sep 2008 05:57:44 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/202001/goodbye-fire-blankets-of-old-the-great-asbestos-cleanup.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/200902/not-hose-reels-scots-reels-dances-of-the-scots-countryside.htm We're all familiar with reels as tools, whether we're talking about fishing reels, hose reels for fire fighting, or demo reels in the world of filmmaking or video art. But one use of the word "reel" that many of us have forgotten about is the tradition of the reel in dancing--one of the four basic dances of the mysterious highlands of Scotland. Fri, 12 Sep 2008 10:21:43 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/200902/not-hose-reels-scots-reels-dances-of-the-scots-countryside.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/199777/fire-brigade-flushes-out-cornered-murder-suspect.htm In 2007, a Chinese fire brigade used hoses to end a tense standoff between police and a suspected murderer. Wed, 10 Sep 2008 17:54:46 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/199777/fire-brigade-flushes-out-cornered-murder-suspect.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/199733/the-human-torch-does-fire-protection-the-history-of-fire-safety-comics-for-kids.htm Comic books: one of the few great American art forms, known worldwide as mental rot and poison. But a few comics have attempted to rise above their low image by providing valuable public services. In particular, there's the NFPA's line of fire protection comics for kids. Wed, 10 Sep 2008 16:56:09 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/199733/the-human-torch-does-fire-protection-the-history-of-fire-safety-comics-for-kids.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/196594/the-little-extinguisher-box-of-tricks-magic-extinguisher-and-early-film.htm A fire extinguisher: for most of us, nothing but a standard piece of safety equipment, tied to the wall with extinguisher brackets and sealed in an extinguisher box. But for the early filmmakers of a largely pre-narrative Hollywood, a fire extinguisher of the classic pre-pressurized type was just another means of struggling to develop a common language of film. Thu, 04 Sep 2008 18:35:58 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/196594/the-little-extinguisher-box-of-tricks-magic-extinguisher-and-early-film.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/195900/fire-extinguisher-signs-and-the-age-of-the-symbol.htm Symbols: from fire extinguisher signs to airline diagrams, they're becoming a more and more common sight in our world. Some people consider the proliferation of the symbol to be a sign of declining literacy rates worldwide, and with them the decline of civilization in general. But the rise of the symbol is by no means bad--and by no means new. Wed, 03 Sep 2008 18:49:13 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/195900/fire-extinguisher-signs-and-the-age-of-the-symbol.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/195898/the-historian-of-fire-buckets.htm Fire buckets--one of the great innovations of fire suppression technology, and one that today is largely obsolete. Foam extinguishers and other more modern means of fighting oil fires have become the standard, and the quaint red buckets of sand from yesteryear have become for the most part a thing of the past. But one artist is fighting to ensure that the past remains... Wed, 03 Sep 2008 18:46:23 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/195898/the-historian-of-fire-buckets.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/195893/stainless-steel-extinguishers-and-urban-art-the-controversy-over-graffiti.htm A stainless steel extinguisher: a classy piece of decor. A vital tool for fighting large, dangerous fires. And, in some urban areas--a controversial art supply. Wed, 03 Sep 2008 18:36:48 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/195893/stainless-steel-extinguishers-and-urban-art-the-controversy-over-graffiti.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/195892/chrome-extinguishers-and-hotel-design.htm Fire extinguishers aren't just nice safety features to have around anymore. The prevalence of chrome extinguishers in modern hotel and restaurant design is starting to revolutionize how the public thinks about one of the inescapable fixtures of modern life: visible safety features. Wed, 03 Sep 2008 18:35:35 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/195892/chrome-extinguishers-and-hotel-design.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/186134/nineteenth-century-poet-would-bemoan-a-lack-of-extinguisher-stands-william-mcgonagall.htm Extinguisher stands were hardly a standard safety option during the all-too-brief career of William McGonagall, the Dundee man commonly known even today as the "Worst Poet In The World." But McGonagall--the poetic chronicler of the Tay Bridge Disaster--would have been the first to applaud the invention, though it surely would have spelled the end of his career. Mon, 18 Aug 2008 07:07:52 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/186134/nineteenth-century-poet-would-bemoan-a-lack-of-extinguisher-stands-william-mcgonagall.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/180896/from-the-fence-to-the-fire-extinguisher-trolley-setting-up-a-construction-site.htm Setting up a small construction site is a big event for any business. But from the fence to the fire extinguisher trolley, there are any number of hidden expenses and scheduling issues you'll need to deal with when you're setting up a site for a small construction project. Fri, 08 Aug 2008 13:28:51 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/180896/from-the-fence-to-the-fire-extinguisher-trolley-setting-up-a-construction-site.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/180239/when-fire-safety-fails-complex-doors-and-theater-fires.htm Fireproof doors: a foolproof solution to fire safety issues, right? Not always. As the victims of the 1903 Iroquois Theater Fire learned, sometimes the most state-of-the-art fire safety measures don't do any good in the heat of the moment. Thu, 07 Aug 2008 13:51:59 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/180239/when-fire-safety-fails-complex-doors-and-theater-fires.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/179740/common-sense-and-a-fire-escape-ladder-what-you-need-to-stop-big-city-burglary.htm "A more wretched hive of scum and villainy you will never find," said Sir Alec Guiness about the massively urban spaceport in Star Wars. The same could be said of virtually any major city, and if you live in a major city, you've got to be concerned with burglaries. Here are some tools for beating big-city burglars, assuming that you have a good fire escape ladder and some... Wed, 06 Aug 2008 23:49:38 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/179740/common-sense-and-a-fire-escape-ladder-what-you-need-to-stop-big-city-burglary.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/179560/foam-extinguishers-upon-the-old-miss.htm If Huck Finn and Jim had thought to carry foam extinguishers with them in their classic flight down the Mississippi, they might well have had an easier time of everything. That's what Disneyland employees learned one morning when a raft on their classic "Tom Sawyer Island" attraction burst into flames. Wed, 06 Aug 2008 19:17:40 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/179560/foam-extinguishers-upon-the-old-miss.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/179056/fire-safety-signs-and-verbs-new-yorks-graffiti-master.htm Are fire safety signs beautiful? Or are they the kinds of things people simply don't notice? Or are they possibly an opportunity for unique creative expression? The work of Leon Reid IV (alias Darius Jones, alias VERBS) raises these questions and more. Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:56:31 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/179056/fire-safety-signs-and-verbs-new-yorks-graffiti-master.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/178494/the-problem-with-mains-smoke-alarms-they-are-too-effective.htm Mains smoke alarms are now common in modern buildings. In fact, most American building codes now require mains smoke alarms as part of their safety policies. It's a triumph for personal fire safety--and occasionally, as this personal anecdote shows, it's a headache. Mon, 04 Aug 2008 17:47:44 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/178494/the-problem-with-mains-smoke-alarms-they-are-too-effective.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/178314/no-plaque-a-history-of-the-fire-brigade.htm The fire brigade, especially in the past decade, has been hailed throughout the world as one of the unambiguously heroic members of a community. Fire fighters work selfishly to put out destructive fires, often running into burning buildings to save innocent lives. But was the history of the fire brigades always quite this romantic? Mon, 04 Aug 2008 12:20:45 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/178314/no-plaque-a-history-of-the-fire-brigade.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/175970/fire-fighting-fakery-the-problem-with-backdraft.htm Fire fighting, especially in recent times, has gotten a reputation as one of the most romantic and noble professions anyone could commit himself to. And it's by no means a new phenomenon: the romance of battling the flames was central to the success of the 1991 Ron Howard film, Backdraft. But how well does the fakery of fire fighters' lives stand up to the reality? Thu, 31 Jul 2008 12:26:36 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/175970/fire-fighting-fakery-the-problem-with-backdraft.htm