[Tim Downer]

Well, what can i say after the disaster we had in Hemel Hempstead in the early hours of Sunday.

t is now Wednesday morning and the fire is still going, although down to only one storage tank now.....after re-igniting this morning.
There will be a lot of cleaning up needed to remove all the debris!! Including my Office!!

I have an office in our larger sister company's warehouse / Office unit.....which is directly next to the fuel depo. As of now (10:15am) we still have not been allowed axcess to the premises, so we still have no idea of the damage!! May still be there....may be flattened, we don't know yet.

I wouldn't mind, but all my cleaning gear is stored in there, although my vans were not left there, they go home each night. So, £500 later, i have stocked up on the essentials so we were back to work yesterday.

The thing that got me, though, was that i was cleaning carpets in the Industrial estate till 7:30 the evening before the disaster, and on Sunday morning i was supposed to go to the office to catch up on paperwork and get the gear ready for Monday Morning!!

I could have been there!!.....then i thought that it could have been worse.....it could have happened on a week day when all the offices we have seen on the news were fully staffed!! What a disaster that couold have been.

I think that although we do not want to see this sort of thing happen at all.....every one in Hemel Hempstead is very grateful that no-one was killed.

Also, i would like to take the opportunity to say thank you to the firemen and other emergency services for doing what they have done to help.

So hopefully, by the end of the day we may be allowed to  assess the damage to our building and get things back to normal.....however, i don't think we will get much of a well earnt christmas break.....be too busy cleaning up the mess etc etc (Mmmmmmmm I can see another Invoice opportunity here!)

Anyway, take care you guys out there and catch up with you later

Regards

Tim

[martin19842]

tim,

what email are you on at moment, work email or another??

i.ll email the address that i have ,

but let me know if you are using another one.

regards

martin

[Tim Downer]

Hi Martin

As far a we know, the computer server is still operating, so we are remotely accessing the computerfrom laptops at the directors homes. I am presuming we can also access our emails. I will try it later in the week.

Had 12 cleaners out on tuesday, 9 today and have 10 tomorrow, so am busy at the moment.

Police say we cannot get to our offices before friday at the earliest! Industrial estate divided between 3 zones. Zones 1 and 2 have been allowed acess to their offices / warehouses etc. Lot of damage. Zone 3 that we are in.....no chance till friday, so will wait till then. Directors recon we will have to move premises till the warehouse unit is fixed......unless it need to be demolished and started again!!

Regards

Tim

[Eureka Ventures]

I was taking my boy to his football match over at Wanstead on sunday afternoon. As dramatically as a click of the fingers, the bright sunny day turned dark. We were looking around for a thirtysomething-year-old sandal-wearing man bearing a large heavy cross, when the radio announced that a listener had called in to say Ilford was shrouded in darkness due to smog from the fire at Hemel.

I guess we have to be grateful that the costs are being counted in bricks and mortar not human lives. But what goes up must, sooner or later, come down; so we wait to hear what the environmental inpact will be.

Good luck, Tim and all others directly affected.

Freddie

[Tim Downer]

Hi all,

Oh well, looks like we will have to get new premises! Building is still standing......just about. Warehouse is Ok, couple of the exterior walls are down. But the offices are trashed.....looks like someone has let off a hand grenade in the Offices. All the partition walls and plaster board walls and the ceilings are down, but strangly none of the windows are broken! They are fine.
If you look to our sister companies web page, there are some photo's of the offices.....www.dbdltd.co.uk

Regards

Tim

[garyj]

Bloody hell, is that just heat damage?

Sorry to hear about your unit, and this time of  year as well.

[Tim Downer]

No, it was just the force of the explosion that caused that damage. We were at the opposite end of the explosion, and not next to it as seen by the top picture on the web site.

A lot of industrial units etc are now on the demolition list. Ours will not be demolished, but will take aout a year before we can move back in......and like you say....especially at this time of the year too. We have only lost one days work, and have put all the cleaning materials in my garage and are based there for the next week or so. But the show must go on.....and it has!!

Tim

[martin19842]

tim,

the penny has just dropped tim, we meet dbd, on bovis sites, oh how small a world we live in.

they were talking about it the other day, the warhouse is ok, but the offices devastated.

been on site all day today,and the week looks very busy, did 36 hours straight on thursday, had 20 appts to get out.

we could have to work through next thursday night aswell.

on one site alone we have 9 plots that havent even been build cleaned, or cml'd all move in on friday.

regards
m

martin

[Tim Downer]

Martin

Yes, it is a small world....

Yes it is a busy time of the year too....however, i am surprized that site allow you to stay over night and on Sundays, as i have asked that question before and have been laughed at!! Yea, right say the site agents.....Oh well, never mind.

Saying that, i would rather not be working all those hours....thats why i use Agency cleaners for my work when i have too much for my staff to cope with.

We had 12 cleaners on the one site last wednesday. Had a great day and got a fair few plots cleaned too along with the communal areas too.

You should have seen us having tea break. 12 cleaners in a front room, having tea, coffee, sharing packets of buscuits around etc etc, and one of my cleaners went to his van and came back with a violin!!

Started playing some tunes for us while having tea......you should have seen the site managers face wondering what was going on.

I think its great how all my cleaners get on well with each other along with the agency cleaners. You need to have a bit of fun when working away on building sites......

Have a good week.

Tim

[martin19842]

hi tim,


our sites have been working seven days a week, for about 8 weeks now, so site management is on site.

with regards to overnight working, then along as you are technically off site then you can negotiate.

its about the communication and relationship that we have with our clients, and the fact that we are on first name terms with the MD and commercial director.

well ive finished the scheduling for next week, and next thursday doesnt look pretty.

regards

martin

[DP]

Martin as thrilling as your contribution is, you have omitted some details, like what you had for breakfast, dinner and tea, important issues for the fan club I would imagine.

Returning to the Buncefield Fire! Sorry to read about your damage Tim hope it all works out.

[Tim Downer]

Thanks Mate

Rumour has it we are moving to the Radlett area near St.Albans till our warehouse/Office unit is repaired.

Tim

[Tim Downer]

Well PDS and DBD our Sister company where moving to Radlett......finished on Friday at around 5:30 with a Whiskey in the Directors Office.
Should have been off for 10 days for the holidays......but have to go back on Wednesday this week to lay all the Office out, desks, computers etc etc. Get all the cleaning gear away in the warehouse and get PDS organised and up and running for the new year! Have only been on the computers once since the explosion, so am itching to get all the work done before Christmas booked on the system and Invoices sent off.
Soon be up and running in no time.......till this time next year when we move back to the premises in Hemel.....after the roof has been replaced, walls fixed and rebuilt, Offices demolished and rebuilt etc etc....

Have a good one everybody

Regards

Tim

[martin19842]

hi tim,

well we finished at about 5..00pm on friday evening, and i have creews out and about on thursday and friday.

i dont know how jnauary is looking like for you, but we are booked for about 3 weeks,  which is a totally different situation to this time last year.

we have smashed oct, nov and december and order book for january is already above what we deliverde in january 2006.

So i hope you get it all sorted out, I have a meeting on wednesday 4th january down in borehamwood, so if your around might be worth a coffee!!

let me know

regards

martin

[Tim Downer]

Martin,

Your more than welcome to visit for a cup of coffee, seeing as you are only in the next town!!
I will email you directions this Friday, as that will be when my computer in the new office will be up and running.
If you are still around, I will be in the office wednesday from 12:00 onwards as have an appointment in the morning myself.

Regards

Tim

[martin19842]

hi tim

ok that sounds like an idea.

regards

martin

[Tim Downer]

Hi Martin,

Chuffing computers still not up and running at the office, so as i am not set up for emails here at home, I am sending you a message on here.
If you still would like to pop round, you drive out of Radlett towards St.Albans / M10. After you have left Radlett, you will see an Industrial Park on your RIGHT called Venturer Park. Drive into here and follow the road round past the B&Q Depo. Went you are at the end of the road you will see Portacabin company infront of you. We are in the road to the right of you, in the first warehouse unit on the left. It still has a "For Let" sign, as we have only just moved in. Ask for me at the reception, or call me on my mobile: 07791 716 280

Be nice to meet you sometime wednesday after 12:00, I am in the Office all afternoon, however if not, then another day when we are in each others neck of the woods......

Regards

Tim

[martin19842]

hi tim,

didnt get down there in the end, as we got called to a flood job in stoke, been up there for three days, and we could be up there for about three months.

so trying to balance teams down here and the operation up there.

good money though

regards

martin