U.K.: Fire extinguishers banned as ‘fire risk’

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Dear United Kingdom,

Hi. How goes? Got time for a quick chat? We are eternally indebted to you for the Magna Carta, Shakespeare, Blackstone, C.S. Lewis, and countless other keystones in the mighty edifice that is Western Culture and Civilization. So, please, understand it is out of the utmost concern for your well being that we ask: What in the name of Nelson's missing arm are you putting in the tea over there, bleach?

The Times Online: Extinguishers banned as ‘fire risk’

Quoting Pete Whittaker, the protection policy manager at Dorset Fire and Rescue from the article in the Times (the Times mind you, not the Onion):

We do not want to encourage people to leave their flat to fetch a fire extinguisher from a hallway and then return to a blaze. We want people to get out safely.

Apparently it's not enough that you aren't allowed to posses a weapon to defend yourself from criminal assault in the U.K., because someone might (gasp) get hurt. No, apparently they don't even trust people's judgment about whether or not to use a fire extinguisher in their own homes.

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This page contains a single entry by Wombat published on March 22, 2008 10:30 PM.

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