You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles
The government should fund the installation of sprinklers in tower blocks
Alok Sharma’s reference to sprinklers as “non-essential” may come back to haunt him, says Martin Hilditch
London Fire Brigade commissioner Dany Cotton was ostensibly talking about the role sprinklers should play in tower blocks this week – but, in truth, her words were also important because they shone a light on the role and responsibilities of government.
To recap, Commissioner Cotton had one very clear fire safety message: “We are calling for residential tower blocks to be retrofitted with sprinklers.”
Her reasoning was that sprinklers “are the only fire safety system that detects a fire, suppresses a fire and raises the alarm”. Crucially, the London Fire Brigade emphasised that this needs to be part of a package of fire safety measures. This is something Inside Housing’s Never Again fire safety campaign has also been calling for.
READ MORE
She emphasised that she didn’t want to pre-empt the findings of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, which holds its first hearing this week, with an interim report due by Easter. Speaking to BBC Breakfast yesterday, she said “this can’t be optional” or a “nice to have” and said she hoped that the retrofitting of sprinklers would be one of the recommendations of the inquiry.
But she added that “now is the time to remind government” of the “life-saving” impact sprinklers could have.
The targeting of the reminder hits the nail on the head. It is crucial that government takes a view in this area (and, along with the wider review of building regulations, one could argue it has abnegated those responsibilities for far too long).
That’s why it is disappointing to read housing minister Alok Sharma’s letter to Nottingham City Council this week – after it requested help to pay for the installation of sprinklers in its tower blocks.
Mr Sharma’s response said it appeared that the fire safety measures proposed by the council “are additional rather than essential” in turning down the request for help.
Mr Sharma’s statement is, of course, factually correct. While government rules mean sprinklers are an “essential” in new build high rises taller than 30 metres in England, it has not attached a similar driver for retrofit in existing buildings.
It’s worth remembering that the coroner following the Lakanal Housing fire in 2009, in which six people died, recommended government encourages landlords to consider retrofitting sprinklers. By contrasting sprinklers with “essential” measures
where financial restrictions might be lifted, Mr Sharma’s words, in essence, have the opposite effect.
Government must articulate its views clearly and fully. Inside Housing argues that it should acknowledge the importance of sprinklers and fund their installation.
Commissioner Cotton stated on BBC Breakfast that if the retrofitting of sprinklers isn’t one of the recommendations of the inquiry “then I will be very disappointed”.
By saying that sprinklers “save lives”, Commissioner Cotton makes it very clear what she feels the cost of a failure to take decisive action could be.
Government needs to take responsibility. It is to be hoped that Mr Sharma’s words don’t come back to haunt him.
Martin Hilditch, deputy editor, Inside Housing
Never Again campaign
Inside Housing has launched a campaign to improve fire safety following the Grenfell Tower fire
Never Again: campaign asks
Inside Housing is calling for immediate action to implement the learning from the Lakanal House fire, and a commitment to act – without delay – on learning from the Grenfell Tower tragedy as it becomes available.
LANDLORDS
- Take immediate action to check cladding and external panels on tower blocks and take prompt, appropriate action to remedy any problems
- Update risk assessments using an appropriate, qualified expert.
- Commit to renewing assessments annually and after major repair or cladding work is carried out
- Review and update evacuation policies and ‘stay put’ advice in light of risk assessments, and communicate clearly to residents
GOVERNMENT
- Provide urgent advice on the installation and upkeep of external insulation
- Update and clarify building regulations immediately – with a commitment to update if additional learning emerges at a later date from the Grenfell inquiry
- Fund the retrofitting of sprinkler systems in all tower blocks across the UK (except where there are specific structural reasons not to do so)
We will submit evidence from our research to the Grenfell public inquiry.
The inquiry should look at why opportunities to implement learning that could have prevented the fire were missed, in order to ensure similar opportunities are acted on in the future.
