LONDON, June 2, 2008 - One employee’s quick thinking recently prevented a small fire from becoming a serious incident at the historic Trestle Arts Base and Theater, a 100-year-old chapel that now serves as a performing arts centre.  After noticing smoke in the foyer, the employee called the Fire Brigade and then grabbed a Kidde CO2 extinguisher to prevent the fire from spreading until help arrived.  Kidde is part of UTC Fire & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX). 

“Calling the Fire Brigade first before attempting to extinguish the flames was exactly the right thing to do,” said Peter Hatherley, Watch Commander at the St. Albans Fire Station. ”The most important thing is not to put yourself at risk,” he stressed. “Raise the alarm first, evacuate and then if it is safe and you have had proper training, attempt to extinguish the flames.” 

This incident comes at a time of heightened debate about the importance of extinguishers in public places.

An independent fire risk assessment conducted at a home for the elderly in Bournemouth recently concluded that extinguishers were a hazard in untrained hands and could encourage people to try and tackle a blaze rather than leave the building.

“The decision to remove fire extinguishers from the flats in Bournemouth is contrary to a recent survey conducted by the FIA which showed that of 400 fire incidents, approximately 80% were successfully extinguished by a portable fire extinguisher, eliminating the need for fire brigade intervention,” says Andy Mitchell, Sales and Marketing Director for Kidde Fire Protection Services.

“And if you want an example of where extinguishers can help prevent a small fire from becoming a major hazard, look no further than the experience of the Trestle Theatre.”

Kidde Fire Protection Services is part of UTC Fire & Security, which provides fire safety and security solutions to more than one million customers around the world.  Headquartered in Connecticut, U.S., UTC Fire & Security is a business unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX) which provides high technology products and services to the building and aerospace industries worldwide.  For more information please visit www.utcfireandsecurity.com.

Contact:

Kimberly Reidy
860-284-3094
kimberly.reidy@fs.utc.com