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LFB completes majority of Grenfell Inquiry recommendations
The vast majority of the recommendations directed at the London Fire Brigade (LFB) from the first phase of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry have now been completed, a report by the mayor of London has found.
Of the 29 recommendations directed at the LFB, 26 are now complete or are due to complete at the end of this month.
In contrast, the government is yet to complete a single recommendation made to it following the first phase of the inquiry, the mayor’s office said.
The final report from the first phase of the Grenfell Inquiry was published in October 2019.
It included various recommendations for the LFB aimed at improving issues with training, policies and equipment.
The mayor’s office said “significant changes” had been introduced at the brigade since the 2017 fire, including the roll-out of an extensive training programme and the introduction of new equipment such as 32-metre and 64-metre ladders.
The remaining recommendations yet to be implemented by the LFB include the electronic storage of building plans, which is expected to be done by March 2025, and the investigation of steps to allow the different emergency services to read each other’s messages, which is yet to receive an implementation date.
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LFB commissioner Andy Roe said: “While there is some work still to do, I am pleased to say that we now have important new policies, practices, training and equipment in place to help protect Londoners and firefighters.”
The report into the first phase of the inquiry, which investigated what happened on the night of the fire at Grenfell Tower, also included 12 recommendations aimed primarily at the government, including a number of fire safety-related changes to national guidance and legislation.
London mayor Sadiq Khan said he was “extremely concerned” that the government has failed to implement a single one of these recommendations, adding that the government has not provided a timeline for when they will be complete.
A spokesperson for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said Mr Khan’s claim was “unfounded”.
The spokesperson said the government is “introducing the biggest improvements in building safety for a generation”, including through the introduction of a new Building Safety Regulator.
The second phase of the Grenfell Inquiry is currently investigating the role of a number of bodies, including the LFB and the government, in the years leading up to the fire at Grenfell.
The mayor’s office said the LFB is already making a range of changes based on the issues raised during phase two of the inquiry, including improving how the brigade gathers and shares risk information about buildings and investing in upgraded communications equipment.
Mr Roe said: “We owe it to the bereaved families, the survivors and the residents to learn lessons, transform our service and improve. We also continue to have detailed discussions with community representatives about how we can improve our service and make it accessible to all.”
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