Wednesday 15 March 2017

Marty McFly Never Had This Problem...

Yes, it's incendiary hoverboards again:
Sue Ivatt, a watch manager at East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, bought one of the gadgets for her son.
The 45-year-old, from Saltdean, said she took time to research the product choice and ensured they followed all the safety advice given.
But one day, while her son was using it in his bedroom, it overheated and started to smoke.
Oh noes! Luckily, mum's a fire, errrr, person...
“We were aware that there had been some fires involving hoverboards so we have a small fire extinguisher which was kept wherever the hoverboard was. We taught my son how to use it just in case.
“My son was on the hoverboard in his bedroom when he shouted for help. My husband ran upstairs just as my son pulled the pin on the extinguisher.
“Smoke was coming out of the wheel of the hoverboard.”
She carried the gadget from the house and put it in the garden...
 Hurrah for sensible, sort-it-out people who don't bother the emergency services unduly!
...before calling the fire service.
Wait, what? What on earth for..?
An East Sussex Fire and Rescue spokesman said: “The fire service were quickly called.
“However, this incident could all too easily have been so much more serious if, for example, this had happened at night when the family were asleep.”
Would they be using a hoverboard in their sleep, then?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Aren't we told to always call the fire brigade in case of fire? Maybe the exhortation should be clearer: "unless the fire has already been extinguished"? After all, not everyone is aware of the subtle distinction.

Andy said...

Sounds like a set up job to me. Fire service personnel conveniently having fire scare with product not yet banned. Coincidence?

Tim Newman said...

She carried the gadget from the house and put it in the garden...

While it was on fire? Lots of talk about pulling pins but nowhere does it say when the fire was put out. I'm confused.

JuliaM said...

"After all, not everyone is aware of the subtle distinction."

Well, quite! Not even firepersons, it would appear...

"Fire service personnel conveniently having fire scare with product not yet banned. Coincidence?"

Hmmmm... *suspicious face*

"While it was on fire?"

The hoverboard? Or the garden?

"I'm confused."

Me too! Often the result with the garbled quality of local newspaper 'journalism'.