Government announces £62m fire alarm fund to replace waking watch measures

It aims to promote compliance with the National Fire Chiefs Council guidance on simultaneous evacuation, which advised the replacement of waking watch measures with “an alternative means of detection and warning as soon as possible”.

Common fire alarm systems installed using the fund should meet BS 5891 Category L5 standards.

Since launching in 2021, the Waking Watch Replacement Fund approved around £71.7m in grant funding to install alarms in 801 buildings.

This has protected leaseholders from the ongoing cost of waking watch measures, the government said, saving them approximately £273 per month.

As part of the Remediation Acceleration Plan, published in December 2024 in the wake of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s final report, the government committed to extending the Waking Watch Replacement Fund to April 2026 and to confirm long-term plans for the funding.

In an update to the plan in July last year, the government announced its intention to launch a new long-term fund to run continuously for the remaining operation of its remediation schemes.

Following the fire at Grenfell Tower in 2017, waking watches became increasingly common in high-rise buildings, as fire safety defects began to emerge.

The cost of waking watches can be crippling for residents. Some have faced bills of more than £800 a month each for the service.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “We are doing all that we can to ensure people are safe in their homes and protected from the risk of fires.

“Through decisive government action we are working tirelessly to remediate unsafe buildings, but while that work progresses, these alarms will help ensure residents have an important layer of protection and are not left relying on costly interim measures.”