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Councils to fit sprinklers in high rises

Several councils are planning to install sprinklers in their high-rise buildings, following the Grenfell Tower fire.

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Councils to fit sprinklers to high-rises

Nottingham City Homes, Barnet Council and Croydon Council all told Inside Housing they will consider adding sprinklers to high rises following the disaster.

The retrofitting of sprinklers was recommended by the coroner in the inquest to the Lakanal House fire in 2009, but little progress has been made since.

Inside Housing research in 2015 showed just 18 of almost 3,000 tower blocks had sprinklers in flats, with just 187 containing the devices in halls or communal areas.

A spokesperson for Nottingham City Homes said: “We plan to install sprinklers in corridors and communal areas in all our tower blocks as an added safety measure. We will also ask residents whether they would like sprinklers installed in their flats.

“Both ourselves and the council believe that it’s a priority, and we believe that this is a firm base from which to move forward in the interests of all our residents.”

Richard Cornelius, leader at Barnet Council, added: “The unprecedented horror of the Grenfell Tower fire has forced everyone to rethink their approach to fire safety in high-rise accommodation… If sprinklers are needed, they will be fitted.”

 


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Alison Butler, deputy leader of Croydon Council, announced that it will install fire sprinklers in all of its 25 council blocks with 10, 11 or 12 storeys.

“Last week’s tragedy showed we all need to bolster fire safety measures for our residents. I will also be writing to the government challenging them to give us more support in our plans to make our borough safer,” she said.

Fathi Tarada, managing director at fire safety engineering consultancy Mosen, said: “It is a catch-all mitigation. When fire compartmentation has been breached, when someone has installed combustible cladding, then when all these things fail, sprinklers are the fall-back position. They would almost certainly have saved lives in this latest tragedy.”

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