London Fire Brigade Commissioner Dany Cotton has expressed amazement that sprinklers are still not routinely installed in schools and residential buildings.
“I’m staggered we don’t have sprinklers in domestic premises and schools,” she said. “They save lives. They keep people safe, as well as putting the fire out.”
The leader of Kensington and Chelsea council has again declined to commit to installing sprinklers in all tower blocks in the borough, saying she was still considering the prospect.
Speaking to Sky News, Dany Cotton also reflected on the horror faced by firefighters during the Grenfell fire that killed 71 people.
Arriving at the scene the first ever woman to hold the post of Commissioner “was just incredulous. It genuinely looked like something that couldn’t happen in England in this day and age.”
The building “should never have behaved like that in a fire situation”, she said. “I would never be able to say it won’t happen again, I just hope and pray it never does”.
Almost six months after the disaster that killed 71 people, Councillor Elizabeth Campbell only said she would consider the option.
Read more on Sky News
FBU says former fire chief’s role in deregulation should disqualify him from Grenfell inquiry
A former chief fire officer appearing as a key expert in the Grenfell inquiry should stand down on account of his role in cuts to and deregulation of the fire service, according to the Fire Brigades Union (FBU).
Steve McGuirk has also advised local councils on fire safety, which compromises his impartiality given the issues at stake, a barrister representing the FBU has said.
Martin Seaward of Cloisters said McGuirk was at the helm of Greater Manchester FRS – between 2009 and 2015 – during a period of severe cuts and station closures.
The FBU has requested that the inquiry consider the effects of cuts and closures on the response of emergency services to the Grenfell fire.
“He has been at the forefront of deregulation in the fire service from 1999 to 2015,” said Seaward. “He has been a champion of the change and transformation that has taken place in the fire service, and that has led to cuts and closures.”
Read more on the story on the Guardian
DCLG issues new cladding and insulation guidance
The government has issued new guidance about the safety risks associated with a number of different cladding systems.
The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) advised councils and other landlords of high rise housing to conduct checks on certain types of cladding. They also recommended checks be carried out on any external insulation involving ‘render’ or ‘brick-slip’ finishes.
“The potential that there may be incorrectly specified or substituted products installed on tall buildings should not be ignored,” the guidance says. “Building owners will want to satisfy themselves and their residents that buildings are safe, and may therefore wish to carry out the checks.”
The DCLG says that experts should examine the “potential for a product to have been substituted from what was originally specified at the design stage”.
It is also urging fire test laboratories to confirm the results of any cladding systems and components already tested.
Read more on the Guardian
Fire Safety in 2023 eBook
SHP's sister site, IFSEC Insider has released its annual Fire Safety Report for 2023, keeping you up to date with the biggest news and prosecution stories from around the industry.
Chapters include important updates such as the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 and an overview of the new British Standard for the digital management of fire safety information.
Plus, explore the growing risks of lithium-ion battery fires and hear from experts in disability evacuation and social housing.
The LFB and Bldg Regs Part B re-writers should seriously consider the consequences of installing sprinklers in all schools and all domestic premises. The extra infrastructure and the local installation costs are large, and would include up-grading most water supply networks or mandatory water storage in all premises. There is also the consequences of accidental and vandal driven damage due to sprinkler discharges to be taken into account, specially in schools and council owned domestic premises housing known “awkward” tenants. It would be just as effective to apply (new) in-combustibilty regulations to all white goods, furniture and furnishings used in… Read more »