Source · Prevention of Future Deaths

Sadie Peters, Joseph Peters and George Peters

Ref: 2016-0219 Date: 23 May 2016 Coroner: Richard Travers Area: Surrey Responses identified: 2 / 3 View PDF

Inadequate awareness programmes exist for the importance of fitting and maintaining smoke detectors in mobile and static caravans, increasing fire safety risks.

Date 23 May 2016

56-day deadline 18 Jul 2016 est.

Responses identified 2 of 3

Child Death (from 2015) Community health care and emergency services related deaths

Coroner's concerns

AI summary

Inadequate awareness programmes exist for the importance of fitting and maintaining smoke detectors in mobile and static caravans, increasing fire safety risks.

View full coroner's concerns

Whilst I do not underestimate the work done by Surrey Fire and rescue Services in making people aware of the importance of using smoke detectors, whether in a building and or a caravan, and the full engagement of The Showmen’s Guild of Great Britain in that work, during the course of the inquest the evidence revealed matters that gave rise to concerns that circumstances creating a risk of other deaths will continue to exist in the future unless action is taken.

Fitting of Smoke Detectors in all Mobile and Static Caravans

1. Consideration should be given to maintaining or developing any existing programmes and, where appropriate, creating new programmes which are designed to raise awareness amongst people using or living in caravans, whether mobile or permanent, of the importance of fitting and maintaining a fully functioning smoke detector inside the caravan.

Responses

2 respondents

Peters

5 Jul 2016 PDF

Action Planned

The Caravan Club will include a reminder of fire safety, specifically the need for smoke detectors, in their monthly members' magazine and other publications. (AI summary)

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Dear Mr Travers Re: Mrs Sadie PETERS, Joseph PETERS and George PETERS Regulation 28 Report to Prevent Future Deaths Thank you for your letter of 10 June 2016 addressed to Mr Chamberlain, The Club Chairman: have spoken with Mr Chamberlain and am pleased to respond on his behalf: The Caravan Club was very sorry to learn of this case and the sad deaths of Sadie, Joseph and George Peters: The Caravan Club is a members' Club for owners of mobile touring caravans and motorhomes We do provide a deal of advice for our members on how to caravan The Club does offer advice and guidance to its members with regard to fire safety, and this includes a recommendation to fit a smoke detector complying with BS EN 54-7 to all members' outfits. We do periodically remind members of the need to protect against the risk of fire, and will be happy to build such a reminder of this into our monthly members' magazine, and other suitable publications am advised by our technical team that the absence ofa smoke detector was particularly unfortunate. It has been longstanding practice (since May 1989) for all new touring caravans which are subject to the National Caravan Council's Certification Scheme (all those made by NCC member manufacturers) to be fitted with a smoke detector. This would mean around 95% of all new caravans sold in the UK, would estimate. It has further been a requirement from the same date that all second-hand touring caravans sold by NCC member dealers be so fitted. As such, the majority of touring caravans in use would, expect be fitted with smoke detectors_ In terms of the constructional standards for caravans of all types (touring, static and indeed park homes), the representative body for the UK industry, the National Caravan Council would be better placed than The Caravan Club to take actions, and should, in my view, be included in the circulation of the Report: Mr R Travers HM Coroner' s Court Station Approach Woking Surrey GU22 ZAP 1 Corporale Name and Registered Oflice: The Caravan Cluh Limiled, East Grinslead House, East Ginsteax, West Sussex RH/9 IUA Registered in England No 6/64127 good safely.

am in regular contact with the Director General of the Camping and Caravanning Club, the National Caravan Council (also represent vehicle manufacturers and dealers) and the British Holiday and Home Parks Association (BH&HPA): will make sure your letter is shared with these organisations. Thank you for bringing the matter to our attention:

Surrey Fire and Rescue Service Other

PDF

Action Taken

Surrey Fire and Rescue Service, working with partners, has visited identified mobile home sites in Surrey, conducting fire safety visits and fitting smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. They are planning to continue to raise awareness and have brought the coroner's recommendation to the attention of all Chief Fire Officers in England and Wales. (AI summary)

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Tel: 01737 242444 Fax: 01737 227624 E:mail: Website:

SURREY Surrey Fire & Rescue Service HM Coroner's Court Headquarters Mr Richard Travers St David's Station Approach 70 Park Road Woking Reigate Surrey Surrey; RHZ OEJ GU22 7AP 2glh July 2016 Regulation 28 Report Action to Prevent Future Deaths Mrs Sadie PETERS, Joseph PETERS and George PETERS Regulation 28 Report Action to Prevent Future Deaths Thank you for your letter dated 17ih June 2016 written under regulation 28 of the Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013 Concerning the tragic death of Mrs Peters Joseph Peters and George Peters at The Plantation, Lingfield; Surrey on 30th December 2014. would Iike to take this opportunity to record my deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Peters family and to take the opportunity to thank you for your thorough review of the events relating to the at The Plantation. We welcome your recommendations and comments around the work already completed by Surrey Fire and Rescue Service's (SFRS) and the Showmen's Guild of Great Britain. have set out the Surrey Fire and Rescue Service's (SFRS) response below_ The matters of concern that you identify as relating to SFRS and associated recommendations are detailed in bold; and the SFRS's response is shown in italics_ Fitting of smoke detectors in all Mobile and Static Caravans Consideration should be given to maintaining or developing any existing programmes and; where appropriate; creating new programmes which are designed to raise awareness amongst people using or living in caravans, whether mobile or permanent; of the importance of and maintaining a fully functioning smoke detector inside the caravan: As you are aware following this and other incidents on Static mobile home sites in Surrey, SFRS working with the Showmen '$ Guild of Great Britain, private site owners and local authorities landlords of council controlled site have visited all identified sites in Surrey offering and conducting community fire safety visits and fitting IOOOs of free smoke alarms and where required carbon monoxide alarms: We also continue to take a partnership agency approach that focuses on the most vulnerable members of these sites via a new risk assessed database that together NHS and other agency data on all properties across Surrey: Printed on recycled paper surreyccgov.uk Wray fire fitting brings

We are now planning to continue to raise and increase awareness of the importance of fitting and maintaining smoke alarms by working with the relevant agency and site owners to have a continuous message to those Or in mobile or permanent caravans It is planned that this will be in place by October 2016, but it should also be recognised that this also part of normal community safety work of raising the public awareness to a range of safety issues: We also feel it is important that your issues are raised at a national level, to this end we have brought your recommendation to the attention of all Chief Fire Officers in England and Wales Should you require any further information then please do not hesitate to contact me_ Chief Fire Officer living using

Report sections

Investigation and inquest

The inquest into the deaths of Sadie PETERS, Joseph PETERS and George PETERS was opened on the 8th January 2015 and was resumed on the 17th May 2016 and concluded that same day.

In the case of each death I found the cause of death to have been:

1a. Inhalation of fire fumes.

In the case of each death I concluded with a short form conclusion of ‘Accidental Death’.

Circumstances of the death

During the winter months Sadie Peters lived together with her three sons, , Joseph aged 6 years and George aged 14 months, with her husband and the children’s father in a permanent mobile home situated at The Plantation, Lingfield, Surrey. was a Rtdoc/04037-2014/Reg28/23-5-2016 showman and came from a long line of showmen. Other members of his family and fellow showmen families also lived in permanent caravans at the Plantation. At about 01.30 hours on the 30th December 2014

was awoken by sounds outside his caravan. When he went outside to investigate he discovered that caravan was on fire. He made valiant attempts to save the people inside and managed to rescue his brother and the couple’s eldest child . Tragically Sadie Peters and the two youngest children, Joseph and George, did not manage to escape and all three died in the fire. I heard evidence that the fire started in a small extension to the caravan that housed a solid fuel burner and that this burner was the most likely cause of the fire. I heard that it became apparent from a close examination of the remains of the fire that there was no smoke detector fitted inside the caravan. Further, I was told that had a smoke detector been fitted inside the caravan the occupants would have been warned about the fire at an early stage and that it was more likely than not that the outcome would have been different.

Copies sent to

I have sent a copy of this report to the followingGeneral Secretary of The Showmen’s Guild of Great BritainChairman of The Caravan ClubChief Fire officerSurrey Fire and Rescue Service5. The Chief CoronerSignedRichard TraversDATED this 23rd May 2016

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Report details

Reference: 2016-0219
Date of report: 23 May 2016
Coroner: Richard Travers
Coroner area: Surrey

Responses identified

Responses identified 2 of 3

1 response not yet linked

Organisations named in PFD reports are normally expected to respond within 56 days. Deadline: 18 Jul 2016 (estimated).

Sent to

Surrey Fire and Rescue Service

Caravan Club

Showmen’s Guild of Great Britain

Source links

Judiciary.uk page → Report PDF →

Data: judiciary.uk under OGL.