Human impact of fire investigated in new study

The Centre for Economics and Business Research and founding member Aico, and the Housing Safety and Wellbeing Taskforce, is conducting research into the human impact of fire.

Domestic fire safety legislation is a crucial regulatory field to ensure buildings are safe for habitation and that fire safety risks are adequately managed.

However, legislation and policies vary starkly across the UK.

The most distinct tightening of restrictions has been in Scotland, where there is now a requirement to have smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors in all dwellings as of February 2022.

In other nations, smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors are only required in properties under certain types of tenure.

Tightening of the rules in Scotland has led to a downward trend of fire incidents over the last four years and a reduction in fire fatalities of 47.5% between 2019 and 2020.

Key findings of the research project so far include that the cost of an individual fire has reduced by 41.5% in Scotland, 23.2% in England and 24.4% in Wales, evidencing a significant saving in Scotland.

If England were to witness a reduction in costs at the same relative scale as Scotland, this would amount to £243 million of savings per annum.

Launched in January 2022, the Housing Safety and Wellbeing Task Force brings together partners from the public, private and charitable sectors across the UK to discuss the key issues involved in creating safer and healthier homes, making recommendations for action.

The Task Force’s framework will enable all involved to work together on a collaborative basis.

Speaking at the launch of the Housing Safety and Wellbeing Task Force, Sir Peter Bottomley, MP for Worthing West and Father of the House, said: “One way or another, we need to make buildings safe from carbon monoxide and also from the dangers posed by fire in general.

“We have perhaps contributed to allowing a bad situation to continue for far too long now and I welcome finding the best way forward.”

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