UK Government introduces ‘majority’ of Grenfell inquiry recommendations

by Breaking NewsConstructionIndustry Sectors

The UK government has announced that The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 will implement the majority of the recommendations made by the Grenfell Tower Inquiry in its Phase 1 report, which required a change in the law.

The regulations seek to improve the fire safety of blocks of flats in ways which are practical, cost effective for individual leaseholders and proportionate to the risk of fire and will come into force on 23 January 2023 following the publication of supporting guidance which is due later in 2022.

The regulations will make it a legal requirement for responsible persons – that is a building owner, or in residential properties, any other person in control of the premises – of high-rise blocks of flats to provide information to Fire and Rescue Services to assist them to plan and, if needed, provide an effective operational response. These regulations will apply to existing buildings. Requirements for new buildings may be different.

In high-rise residential buildings, responsible persons will be required to

  • Provide building plans to their local Fire and Rescue service with up-to-date electronic building floor plans and to place a hard copy of these plans.
  • Provide to their local Fire and Rescue Service information about the design and materials of a high-rise building’s external wall system and to inform the Fire and Rescue Service of any material changes to these walls.
  • Undertake monthly checks on the operation of lifts intended for use by firefighters, and evacuation lifts in their building and check the functionality of other key pieces of firefighting equipment.
  • Install and maintain a secure information box in their building containing the name and contact details of the Responsible Person and hard copies of the building floor plans.
  • Install signage visible in low light or smoky conditions that identifies flat and floor numbers in the stairwells of relevant buildings.

In residential buildings with storeys over 11 metres in height, responsible persons will be required to undertake annual checks of flat entrance doors and quarterly checks of all fire doors in the common parts.

In all multi-occupied residential buildings with two or more sets of domestic premises, responsible persons will be required to provide relevant fire safety instructions to their residents, which will include instructions on how to report a fire and any other instruction which sets out what a resident must do once a fire has occurred, and provide residents with information relating to the importance of fire doors in fire safety.

On whether these regulations are a proportionate response, the government guidance stated: “These regulations, where they legislate to require responsible persons to provide information to fire and rescue services focus only on high-rise residential buildings. This approach is a proportionate one which implements the majority of the Phase 1 recommendations, which require a change in the law, in a practical way.”

Commenting on the government’s plans, Grenfell United said: “We are enraged at the government, whose sole focus continues to be profit and not public safety. We’ve fought for years to create a legacy for our 72 loved ones, and to prevent another Grenfell. But five years on, the government has reverted back to the same policy in place before Grenfell.

“This policy resulted in 41% of those living with disabilities dying at Grenfell. It left them with no personal evacuation plan and no means of escape. They didn’t stand a chance. This report is a disgrace.

“Disabled people have the right to leave their homes safely. The government must implement the recommendation from the Phase 1 report of the Grenfell Inquiry and ensure personal evacuation plans for disabled residents.”

UK Government sticks with controversial ‘stay put’ policy

by Featured News

The UK government has announced it will not be implementing the recommendation for Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs) from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, instead opting to remain with the controversial ‘stay put’ policy.

The Home Office published a consultation document which outlined their reasoning, stating that they believe it is not ‘proportionate’ to follow the recommendations and will continue to place its faith in ‘stay put’ advice in most buildings.

The response government’s response stated that there were “significant issues” with the “practicality, proportionality and safety” of PEEPS, and that “we are currently unable to mandate PEEPs in high-rise residential buildings.” The Home Office also said it intends to replace the proposal to require evacuation plans and PEEPs with “an alternative package of initiatives.”

It is now facing criticism from across the fire safety sector, as well as from campaign groups and bereaved relatives of the Grenfell Tower residents, having previously promised to implement the inquiry’s recommendations in full. 

Th decision against a recommendation from Phase 1 of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry – published in October 2019 – which advises the government to place a legal obligation on building owners to outline Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs) for residents in the event of a fire.

Grenfell United, a campaign group for people affected by the fire, said: “We are enraged at the government, whose sole focus continues to be profit and not public safety. We’ve fought for years to create a legacy for our 72 loved ones, and to prevent another Grenfell. But five years on, the government has reverted back to the same policy in place before Grenfell.

“This policy resulted in 41% of those living with disabilities dying at Grenfell. It left them with no personal evacuation plan and no means of escape. They didn’t stand a chance. This report is a disgrace.

“Disabled people have the right to leave their homes safely. The government must implement the recommendation from the Phase 1 report of the Grenfell Inquiry and ensure personal evacuation plans for disabled residents.”

In responding to the government’s PEEPs consultation, the Commissioner of London Fire Brigade, Andy Roe said: “It’s vitally important that people feel safe in their own homes and have certainty about how to leave their building in the event of a fire or other emergency.

“PEEPs were a key recommendation from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry and we want to work with government, communities, and other partners to make progress on evacuation plans. We will be responding to this consultation.”

Industry responds to commencement of Fire Safety Act

by Breaking NewsBuilding ManagementIndustry Sectors

The UK government’s Fire Safety Act 2021 and the Building Safety Act 2022, which have both now come into force, have been met with mixed response from the British fire and safety industry.

The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) welcomed he publication of the government’s White Paper on Fire Reform which focusses on driving forward reform, strengthening governance and improving talent and professionalism.  

According to NFCC, the white paper and subsequent consultation provides a further opportunity to continuously improve what fire and rescue services already do and to reach into new roles and responsibilities to respond to local risk and support partner services. The reforms can build on the fantastic work already carried out every day.  

NFCC Chair Mark Hardingham commented: “I am pleased to see today’s long anticipated publication of the white paper together with the announcements on fire and building safety.  

“The public have great confidence and trust in firefighters and their fire and rescue services. We all carry a collective responsibility to build on that reputation in how we shape the fire and rescue service for the future – with the needs and expectations of the public at the forefront of our thinking. 

“NFCC has a significant role to play in advising and delivering on reform and improvements. However, no one organisation alone holds the key – we want to work with the various fire service bodies to inform and implement further improvements.” 

The Council said it would now respond to the consultations after exploring the recommendations in detail with fire and rescue services.  

A perfect storm

The Fire Industry Association has said the new legislation will create a ‘perfect storm’ for fire risk assessors, as they will now face additional challenges when it comes to satisfying new legal requirements designed to meet fire safety competency standards.

The association raised the issue thattThe legislation requires that a building’s external walls be considered as part of any fire risk assessment, which has been much debated by the industry. The Building Safety Act goes further still, it said, placing a clear duty on ‘Accountable Persons’ and ‘Responsible Persons’ to confirm the competency of any fire risk assessor whom they appoint to assist them in undertaking a building fire risk assessment.

It also noted the lack of detailed definition around the term ‘competent’, which then puts these ‘duty holders’ under considerable pressure to make the correct choices.

Dennis Davis, executive officer at the Fire Sector Federation, said: “Those accountable for building and fire safety, including fire risk assessors operating without clearly demonstrable competency, need to make sure they’re ready now.

“They must fully understand the implications of demonstrating compliance with their obligations under the new legislation. Using existing third party assurance schemes that demonstrate fire risk assessors are competent is a practical way forward for clients. Joining such schemes or engaging with those organisations developing standards will allow qualified professionals to show they’re competent. It’s a way forward for contractors.”

He added: “We need to face up to these challenges if we are to avoid a ‘perfect storm’ in the fire risk assessor sector which could undermine fire safety in our buildings.”

‘An attack on workers’ rights’

The Fire Brigade Union called highlighted the white paper’s review on pay and move to operational independence of Chief Fire Officers. Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary called it ‘an attack on workers’ rights by undermining collective bargaining and a proposal to remove frontline firefighters’ voices.

He said: “The narrative set out in the white paper on the fire service’s response to the pandemic is one firefighters will not recognise. Firefighters, through their union, negotiated a contract which kept them safe and allowed important work to protect the public to take place. Before this agreement, Covid positive firefighters were deployed to doorsteps – not something certain chief fire officers can be proud of.

“We’re proud of how the tripartite agreement was achieved through our long-standing arrangements, and attempts to belittle it are false and insulting.

“The vast bulk of this white paper does not relate directly to Grenfell recommendations. It is unclear why the government is trying to paint this picture. Instead of listening to frontline firefighters, the government appears to have listened only to the anti-union voice of the politically motivated, including outgoing fire inspector Tom Winsor, and fire bosses. We look forward to working with the government to address these proposals and making sure that frontline firefighters are heard.

“The union has never opposed clarifying the role of a firefighter and in some instances, expanding that role, and we have tried to have these discussions with ministers for over a decade. It is ministers who have failed to answer these questions. It is imperative that any changes are properly negotiated and discussed with frontline firefighters – it is their say that should matter most. 

“The proposals on governance suggests that we could see more Police Fire and Crime Commissioners. Throwing fire in with police means fire and rescue services do not receive enough scrutiny. Furthermore police and fire are very different functions and there is a vital need to maintain the neutrality of fire and rescue services in the public perception. If this breaks down it will make the work of fire and rescue services in communities far more difficult.”

New reports reveal fire safety checks halved in last decade

by Passive

DORSET and Wiltshire firefighters carried out nearly 1,000 fewer safety checks on buildings last year compared with a decade ago, new figures reveal.

Fire services conduct audits on most public buildings and the shared areas of residential properties such as flats to make sure they are in line with safety laws.

But with inspections hitting a record low across England last year, the Fire Brigades Union warns the scale of the building safety crisis – exposed by the Grenfell Tower fire – is “beyond all current comprehension”.

Home Office data shows the Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service completed 1,040 fire safety audits on buildings in 2019-20. This was 958 fewer than the 1,998 inspections recorded in 2010-11, when comparable records began.

Across England, the number of audits completed fell to a record low of 48,400 last year – 43% fewer than in 2010-11. Buildings tested include care homes, hospitals and high-rises, as well as schools and shops.

Local breakdowns on the type of buildings checked were unavailable, but nationally 3,500 were undertaken on blocks of flats. This was a slight decrease on 2018-19 and far fewer than the 6,500 done in 2017-18.

The Home Office said the higher number that year was likely to be in response to the Grenfell Tower disaster, which killed 72 people in June 2017.

Matt Wrack, Fire Brigades Union general secretary, said more than a decade of government cuts had led to preventative work being slashed.

“The Grenfell Tower fire exposed the shameful state of building safety in the UK,” he said.

“The scale of the building safety crisis is beyond all current comprehension – and firefighters have a crucial role to play in tackling it.”

Mr Wrack said the union supports the Government’s new bills on fire safety and building safety, which aim to expand firefighters’ prevention and protection work.

“But to be effective, the fire and rescue service must be properly funded,” he added. “As things stand, the Government is trying to do public safety on the cheap.”

Of the audits undertaken in Dorset and Wiltshire last year, 476 (46 per cent) resulted in an “unsatisfactory” rating.

Crews issued 441 informal notifications to premises that had failed an audit, explaining what action needed to be taken.

If informal notifications fail, they can take tougher action and Dorset and Wiltshire crews handed out eight enforcement notices – formal warnings that a building breaches the law.

Prohibition notices, ordering access to a building to be restricted or for it to be closed altogether, were issued on 11 occasions.

A Home Office spokeswoman said the Government was committed to providing fire services with the resources they need.

She said: “Funding for standalone fire and rescue services has increased by 3.2 per cent in 2020-21.

“We’ve also made more than £20 million of funding available to the sector to support fire protection work – £16 million of which is being invested directly to increase the number of audits and qualified officers.”

CCS develops revolutionary fire safety solution

by Products

Contactless Check Solutions (CCS) has developed an industry-first solution to “transform” the fire safety sector in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

According to the company, its “simple” solution to make fire safety inspections faster and more accurate will reportedly ensure fire door compliance in line with UK regulations.

The method involves using a pin containing a unique identifier that is then installed into a fire door at manufacture or retrofitted.

The company’s fire inspection app can then be installed on a smartphone or tablet and is used to scan the pin and give the inspector access to the door’s manufacturing and maintenance history in real time.

The app will then prompt the inspector to complete a checklist with compulsory photos which automatically update the record stored on the cloud.

Building owners and managers will have quick and easy access to see a complete overview of all their fire door stock, site by site, floor by floor, using a simple traffic light system, and the history of each and every door, the Maryport firm said.

Andy Tyas, managing director, said: “The fire safety industry is under intense scrutiny after Grenfell. The government is looking closely at how and when fire doors are inspected, maintained and managed.

“The development of this project will benefit the people responsible for the building as well as the regulatory authority to ensure correct inspections are being carried out in accordance with building regs.”

CCS is being supported by the Made Smarter North West adoption pilot, which helps SME manufacturers to adopt digital technologies.

Mr Tyas added: “Made Smarter funding and advice has accelerated development of the technology by two years and dramatically increased our chances of being first to market with a technology that could transform the fire safety sector.”

CCS said the innovation will make it easier for owners and managers to ensure compliance with UK regulations by establishing a consistent system for fire door inspection programmes, regardless of the type of building.

With nothing similar currently on the market, CCS said it is targeting manufacturers of the six million new fire doors produced every year in the UK, as well as the managers of the hundreds of millions of fire doors currently installed.

CCS directors Sean Parnaby, David Reay and Andrew Tyas have been manufacturing fire doors for almost 20 years.

According to CCS, it isn’t just focussed on the UK market and has already had discussions with building managers in Europe and the Middle East.

The company are also discussion with door manufacturers, inspectors and local authorities regarding applying the solution to refuse chutes in high rise buildings and sprinkler systems.

https://ccs-fire.com/

RIBA introduces new fire safety educational framework

by Projects

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced ‘The Way Ahead’ Education and Professional Development Framework after the Grenfell tragedy and growing concern about the climate.

The framework signifies a new direction for architectural education and continuing professional development, with a greater emphasis on health and life safety, the climate emergency and professional ethics.

For the first time, the RIBA has developed a single standard covering pre and post-registration education and professional development. Key components of the new framework include education themes and values, mandatory competencies, career role levels, core CPD curriculum, specialisms and accreditation.

The Education and Professional Development Framework will be phased in over two years, beginning in 2021. The Way Ahead, which outlines the changes, gives advance notice of these developments to schools of architecture, CPD providers, practices and members so they can implement and respond.’

Adrian Dobson, RIBA’s executive director of professional services, said: “After 40 years of deregulation in UK society, there was an appetite to re balance professional standards against commercial imperatives”.

RIBA president Alan Jones said the change was due, adding: “The education of future chartered architects, and the professional development of those who have already achieved chartered status, need a sharpened focus on the core knowledge, skills and experience required to respond to the immediate and mid-term challenges facing our world, society and industry.”

The first mandatory competence – health and life safety, including fire safety – will be introduced next year with architects expected to pass a test demonstrating their competence.

It is key that across society we are embedding fire safety knowledge at all levels to ensure that we are making society better, safer and more competent – especially in the realm of fire safety. Beyond the breadth of these changes, another great aspect of the new Education and Professional Development Framework is the idea of re-certifying to ensure that professionals are kept up to date on the latest changes and can become familiar with best practices.

www.architecture.com/

Labour bid to amend fire safety bill after “shameful” failure to remove cladding

by Passive

Labour will try to amend the government’s fire safety bill this week, after it emerged that over 80% of private sector accommodation with Grenfell-style flammable cladding has not had the dangerous material removed.

The party will try to amend the legislation due before parliament on Monday and force the government to implement the recommendations of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s phase one report, published in October 2019.

The move comes after the latest government figures released in August showed that Grenfell-style cladding had not been removed from over 80% of private sector buildings and nearly 50% of social sector buildings.

The report on the first stage of the inquiry into the Grenfell fire said the programme to withdraw the aluminium composite material – ‘ACM’ – cladding from buildings “should be pursued as vigorously as possible”.

Commenting on the government’s inaction since the fire killed 72 people in 2017, Labour frontbencher Sarah Jones said: “Over three years after Grenfell, it is shameful how little progress has been made.

“The government has continuously broken their promises, while tens of thousands of people across the country are stuck living in unsafe flats. The victims and survivors of Grenfell are still waiting for justice. This is completely unacceptable.”

While the government has claimed its fire safety bill would take it a “step further” to delivering on the inquiry’s recommendations, it does not include direct provisions for any of the measures called for in the report.

The shadow policing and fire minister added: “Every measure necessary should be put in place to prevent a fire like Grenfell from ever happening again. We urge the government to honour their promises and back the amendment and get the work done.”

The fire safety bill is intended to give greater clarity over the responsibility for fire safety in buildings containing more than one home. It passed its second reading in April and the remaining stages are scheduled to take place tomorrow.

Labour’s amendment would create a legal mandate for owners to share information on the design and materials of buildings with the local fire service and to undertake regular inspections of flat entrance doors and lifts.

The proposed changes to the government’s bill would also see owners of buildings required to make sure that all residents are informed of the premises’ evacuation and fire safety procedures.

Commenting on the removal of Grenfell-style cladding in the phase one report, chair of the inquiry Sir Martin Moore-Bick wrote that is is “essential that it be done as quickly as possible”.

He added: “Concern has been voiced publicly, most recently by the House of Commons communities and local government select committee, about the apparently slow rate of progress in carrying out the work.”

Cardinus Risk Management partners with FR Consultants to improve safety in British buildings

by Projects

Risk management specialists Cardinus Risk Management have formed an alliance with UK’s top façade risk advisors FR Consultants to offer a complete solution to the UK’s crisis with façade combustibility, which has gained significant attention since the Grenfell Tower tragedy in June 2017.

As regulatory reform (through The Building Safety Bill and The Fire Safety Bill) strives to address issues that are present, those responsible for the management of buildings are having to undertake a process of checking the fire safety compliance of their properties and potentially commissioning remediation work.

As part of this process, Cardinus is identifying potential “at-risk” buildings and will now offer a wider EWS1 reporting service through FR Consultants who can also offer a full suite of services to achieve compliance.

Between the two technical partners, the entire process of ensuring Fire Safety can be covered:

Non-Destructive Fire Risk Assessments, Fire training, Fire Safety e-learning, Reinstatement Cost Assessments, Fire related Insurer surveys and consultancy and Building Health and Safety Audits (undertaken by Cardinus Risk Management).

Destructive Fire Risk Assessments, Exterior Wall Systems survey (EWS1), Fire Engineering reports and assistance, Façade Surveys, Remedial Specification, Clerk of Works, Principle Designer, Budgeting Assistance and Lead Consultant services (offered by FR Consulting).

The combination will allow a complete service Freeholders, Landlords and Agents to get assistance to meet any fire safety compliance they may need.

Jamie Truscott AIIRSM, Managing Director Property and Insurance, Cardinus Risk Management said: “With legislation surrounding building safety evolving rapidly, Cardinus, as a BAFE GOLD assessor, and RICS accredited surveyor is delighted with this alliance with FR Consultants, who are one of only a few companies with the expertise in building façade fire safety.

“FR Consultants is respected and trusted in our industry, as safety is at the heart of everything we do. Rather than just seeing the process as a ‘tick-box’ exercise, between us we can offer consultancy and services tailored to each specific building, working closely with clients to help them with every step of their journey to compliance.

“We are pleased that, through our technical partnership with Cardinus, we can assist their large client base with our technical knowledge and at the same time widen our range of services to include Cardinus BAFE accredited Fire Risk Assessments.”

www.cardinus.com/

Combustible cladding to be removed from Aylesbury flats

by Projects

The Friars House block in Aylesbury town will see combustible cladding removed ‘after over three years’ since it was first discovered.

The planning application lodged is set to ‘replace the materials on the front’ of the block, which sits above the Friars Square Shopping Centre in the town, and which was ‘found to have’ combustible cladding in 2017 after the Grenfell Tower fire. With it now being ‘over three years since it was revealed the building had potentially dangerous materials on its facade’, the application means that the cladding ‘looks set to be removed’.

The news outlet noted that at the time, a representative of the block’s management company Moreland Estate Management said that it ‘completely understood’ concerns ‘on this matter’, adding that ‘we have worked closely with Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service to review the entire fire safety of the property, including the structure, management and facilities provided for the fire safety of the residents. We regularly check all fire systems at all of our properties’.

In turn, it was pointed out that ‘there is no work planned inside’ the building, with the planning application ‘focused on’ replacing the combustible materials on the outside of the building’. The news outlet added that the plans ‘show very similar elevations for the flats once the work is done’, including that ‘colour and appearance won’t change much at all’. Buckinghamshire County Council has a deadline of 21 September to make a decision on the application.

www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/

Government failures over cladding lead to extra hours for firefighters

by Projects

London firefighters are spending over 4,000 hours per month visiting high rise blocks where fire safety failings have resulted in ‘Stay Put’ advice being suspended.

Labour’s London Assembly Fire and Resilience Spokesperson, Andrew Dismore AM, who obtained these figures from a series of written questions to the Mayor, said that the Government’s “dither and delay” over removing dangerous cladding from tower blocks is leading to the London Fire Brigade (LFB) becoming a “free building safety service for tower block owners”.

High rise blocks of flats are designed to stop the spread of fire between apartments, which is the basis of the “Stay Put” advice. In March, the LFB identified that in 120 tower blocks, Stay Put was suspended because each building was still wrapped in Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding, like that used on the Grenfell Tower.

In March, another 166 towers had the Stay Put policy revoked due to other factors such as compartmentation failures or the presence of other types of dangerous cladding, such as high-pressure laminates.

As of June, the advice in 274 tower blocks in the capital is now for all households to simultaneously evacuate in the event of a fire instead.

The LFB is currently dispatching a fire engine and a crew of between four and six firefighters to check these buildings twice a month while Stay Put advice is suspended.

The building checks, including the follow-up work for both visits, take two to four hours to complete on average.

This comes despite the Government’s previous pledge to strip ACM from tower blocks by June 2020, in the wake of the Grenfell tragedy three years ago.

The Mayor of London’s Budget guidance for 2020/2021 shows that in the absence of additional Government funding, the LFB will need to make £25 million of savings over the coming years due to the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak.

Labour’s London Assembly Fire and Resilience Spokesperson, Andrew Dismore AM, said:

“The Government’s dither and delay in stripping dangerous cladding from high rises is contributing to the London Fire Brigade becoming a free building safety service for tower block owners.

“Keeping Londoners safe will always be the top priority, but providing this service takes time that could be used for other important duties such as training exercises and conducting smoke alarm checks.

“If the Government is going to require the Brigade to pick up the slack from its stalling building safety programme, it should allocate the necessary extra funding and resources.

“Firefighters have stepped up during the Covid-19 outbreak, from driving ambulances and fitting masks to delivering supplies in the community. However, the fallout from the pandemic is also due to have a huge impact on the Brigade’s finances.

“The Government must get its act together over cladding remediation and properly invest in our emergency services”