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Grenfell Inquiry day nine: lead firefighter says he was not trained in stay put policy

Day nine was devoted to evidence from Michael Dowden, watch manager at North Kensington fire station, who was the first to spot the fire spreading on the outside of the building.

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Grenfell Inquiry day nine: lead firefighter says he was not trained in stay-put policy #ukhousing

Key points

  • Michael Dowden tells the inquiry he had no training in reversing the ‘stay put’ policy on the night of the fire
  • He also admits that on a previous visit to the tower he had failed to carry out adequate checks on risks relating to the cladding, evacuation protocols and vulnerable residents
  • He describes the difficult circumstances faced by firefighters, including “large quantities” of “molten debris” falling from the building, hampering evacuation efforts

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Grenfell Inquiry day 10: incident commander emotional after questioningGrenfell Inquiry day 10: incident commander emotional after questioning

In the first of two days of questioning, Mr Dowden, who was in charge of the firefighting operation until around 2am on the night of the fire, answered questions about the London Fire Brigade’s (LFB) training procedures for high-rise tower fires.

He told the inquiry he didn’t recall receiving any training on the ‘stay put’ policy which led residents who called 999 to stay in their flats until 2.47am, despite such training being required by LFB policy. Read the full story here.

He said the evacuation was particularly difficult because Grenfell Tower only had one staircase, rather than the preferred two. Firefighters would usually use one for evacuation and one for fighting the blaze, he said.

But this single staircase was something he failed to note on a visit to the tower in summer 2016, along with other important information relating to the cladding and evacuation tactics for vulnerable residents should they be required.

When asked by Richard Millett QC whether he had made an assessment on evacuation protocols for the tower, he said: “I can’t recall I did, no.”

He gave similar answers when asked if he investigated whether there were children, older people, people with mobility issues or “people whose command of English might obstruct their understanding” of evacuation advice living in the tower.

When pressed on whether he looked at the cladding, he said: “It’s something which I didn’t look at, and wasn’t aware of. Having known what I know now, that’s certainly something that I would have looked at without doubt.”

Mr Dowden, a firefighter with 14 years’ experience, was responsible for training his team of firefighters. But he said there was no way to evaluate the success of his training until he saw them apply it in an emergency. Mr Millett asked: “Might that be a bit late?” Mr Dowden replied: “It could be seen as, yes.”

He also talked about what happened on the night of the fire itself, saying that on route to the fire he reminded his team about the tactics for being in a high-rise building, but that there wasn’t time for a detailed briefing.

In his witness statement, he shed light on the harrowing conditions faced by firefighters, describing burns one officer sustained to the back of the neck from a shower of burning debris falling from the blaze. The debris forced some to use folding tables to shield themselves on the way in and out of the tower.

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry

Closing statements

 

Day 85: victims' lawyers attack the fire brigade

 

Further expert evidence

Including some additional evidence from emergency call handlers, bereaved and relatives

 

Day 84: further evidence from survivors and relatives

Day 83: swift evacuation of tower possible if residents alerted

Day 82: initial fire was extinguished but then returned to the flat

Day 81: overheating fridge-freezer most likely cause of fire

Day 80: fire doors installed did not match product tested

Day 79: resident advised to stay put despite fire in flat

Day 78: insulation and cladding material below required standard

Day 77: molten plastic spread blaze down tower

Day 76: 'stay put' should be dropped when fire spreads across floors

 

Other witness evidence

Police, ambulance, gas suppliers, council, TMO and call room operators give evidence

 

Day 75: call room operators give evidence

Day 74: further evidence from TMO officers

Day 73: TMO boss failed to pass information to firefighters

Day 72: fire finally extinguished when gas switched off

Day 71: further questions over stay put advice

Day 70: the police evidence

 

The bereaved, survivors and relatives’ evidence

 

Day 69: video shows smoke billowing through fire door

Day 68: KCTMO removed self closing mechanism and never replaced it

Day 67: gaps in cladding fixed with duct tape

Day 66: 'don't fix broken system with a sticking plaster'

Day 65: survivor dragged disabled man down nine floors to safety

Day 64: KCTMO 'did not replace broken fire door'

Day 63: foam insulation inside cladding 'exposed' says survivor

Day 62: father gives harrowing account of son's death

Day 61: council’s management organisation slammed for faulty electrics

Day 60: stay put advice ‘led to deaths’, residents say

Day 59: residents describe problems with new windows

Day 58: survivor describes how daughter saved his life

Day 57: firefighter evidence ‘a slap in the face’, says survivor

Day 56: relations with contractor were ‘toxic’

Day 55: resident 'never happy' with stay-put advice

Day 54: tenant gives evidence about housing association

Day 53: stay put advice 'felt like trap'

Day 52: resident saved by son's phone call

 

The firefighters’ evidence

 

Day 51: firefighter feared encouraging residents to jump

Day 50: the LFB commissioner

Day 49: fire chief reveals frustration over lack of building plans

Day 48: internal fire spread 'bigger story' than cladding

Day 47: fire officer considered evacuating crews over building collapse fears

Day 46: 'we were improvising' senior firefighter admits

Day 45: firefighter urged for abandonment of 'stay put' policy

Day 44: firefighter recalls radio signal difficulties

Day 43: call hander 'uncomfortable' with insisting residents stay put

Day 42: residents only told to leave if they called fire brigade back

Day 41: breathing equipment delay 'hampered rescues on upper floors'

Day 40: chiefs told firefighters to abandon policy

Day 39: firefighters reveal dramatic rescue of children

Day 38: firefighters issue aplogies to families

Day 37: council 'unable to provide tower plans'

Day 36: QC defends inquiry process

Day 35: Javid would welcome interim recommendations

Day 34: water from hose 'too weak' to reach the flames

Day 33: 'oh my god, we've been telling people to stay put'

Day 32: further fire fighter describes lack of equipment and low water pressure

Day 31: 'incredibly difficult' task of recording information outlined

Day 30: struggle to maintain control over rescue operation described

Day 29: fire service 'overwhelmed' by survival guidance calls

Day 28: 'the building beat us'

Day 27: firefighters 'forced to abandon plans to reach roof'

Day 26: poor signage hindered rescue efforts

Day 25: water pressure left firefighting equipment 'like garden hose'

Day 24: decision to abandon 'stay put' explored

Day 23: TV images 'could have assissted' rescue effort

Day 22: description of hectic scenes in the control centre

Day 21: account from the fire service 'nerve centre'

Day 20: firefighter describes 'huge volume' of calls from trapped residents

Day 19: firefighter 'given no training on cladding fires'

Day 18: evacuation would have been 'huge catastrophe'

Day 17: firefighters describe access and lift issues

Day 16: scenes of carnage likened to 9/11

Day 15: firefighters recount trauma of survival guidance calls

Day 14: firefighters describe spread of blaze

Day 13: firefighters recall radio difficulties

Day 12: "it was like a war zone"

Day 11: questions raised over fire fighters' radios

Day 10: watch manager emotional under questioning

Day nine: lead firefighter 'not trained in stay put policy'

 

The expert reports: authors give evidence to inquiry

 

Day eight: where the fire started

Day seven: what was in the cladding?

Day six: the cause and spread of the fire

Day five: expert highlights key issues

Day four: firefighters defend response to fire

Day three: council and contractors appear for the first time

Day two: lawyers for the survivors make their case

Day one: expert evidence released on cladding and stay put

 

The commemoration hearings

 

30 May: Grenfell Council 'recognised it should not house disabled victim above four storeys'

29 May: Anger on day six of the Grenfell Inquiry

25 May: Grenfell families 'forced to live in chimney with stay put policy'

24 May: Grenfell family complained about father being housed on 17th floor

23 May: Tributes to children on third day of Grenfell hearings

22 May: Emotions run high as Grenfell bereaved shown footage of the tower burning

21 May: Grenfell victims share tributes as inquiry opens

 

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