The Coroner of an inquest into the Shirley Towers fire in April 2010 where two firefighters lost their lives has recommended that tower blocks that are taller than 30 metres should have sprinklers retrofitted.
The Coroner’s report has been released, six months after the inquest concluded death by misadventure of firefighters Alan Bannon and James Shears.
In a statement released last week Coroner Keith Wiseman said:
He also recommended that firefighters be given wire cutters, after the inquest found that cables hanging from the ceiling got caught on firefighters’ breathing apparatus tanks on their backs — creating a deadly trap. He also recommended that building regulations be amended to ensure that all cables are supported by fire-resistant cable supports.
The Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA) issued a statement yesterday welcoming the Coroner’s recommendations. They wrote that sprinklers are “the most effective way” of suppressing or extinguishing fires before the fire and rescue service arrive and that “they save lives and reduce injuries”.
Sprinklers have been proven time and again to work, and a range of reports into the use of sprinklers in residential homes have concluded that they are both cost effective and save lives.
Last year the British Automatic Fire Sprinkler Association released a report into retrofitting high-rise apartment blocks and concluded that the cost per flat was around GB pound 1,150 (US$1,780).
Clearly, the use of sprinklers in high-rise, and other, homes would make a significant difference to the jobs that fire fighters are required to do — especially in a time of dwindling fire service budgets.
If the Government were to adopt the proposals and recommend social housing blocks over 30m are fitted with sprinklers, it would provide a significant boost to the fire safety industry, with hundreds, if not thousands, of buildings requiring retrospective works.
The CFOA went further in its statement, recommending that “all new build accommodation, irrespective of height as well as… accommodation housing vulnerable people” should also have sprinklers installed.
These findings come as the spectre of the Lakanal House inquest hangs over the UK fire authorities and councils. Six people died in the 2009 fire, and the harrowing testimony detailing some of the victims’ dying moments has shocked many.
Sprinklers can save lives, but will government be willing to commit councils to invest in potentially expensive systems in these austere times? Maybe the real question should be: What will the cost be if they don’t?
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In the current economic climate I suspect the retro fitting of sprinklers might not be possble but there are other solutions which can be effective but only if the industry and fire services are open minded. All the time we expect fire fighters to enter a fire compartment in a high rise building we are putting them at risk and it takes time to be in a position to actually enter. There are systems that can be quickly introduced whilst other measures are being considered or enacted. I could protect flats for around £25 each plus the equipoment carried by… Read more »
Indeed — PFP would in most cases probably be easier. The fire services love to push the sprinkler option, and personally, despite the potential collateral damage from sprinkler systems, I think it would be a positive move. I suspect however, I’ll be seeing a few objections in this comment feed!
The idea of all high rise buildings being retrospectively fitted with sprinklers whilst very good in thought is not going to happen in practice and as such more reasonable methods of protection should be used. Starting with the basic structure, it was when new of an appropriate standard, many high rise blocks suffer at the hands of both its occupiers and its owners. Ensuring the correct level of maintenance is in place and that the standards are adequateley maintained. Having an alternate means of escape provision is all well and good but many maisonettes in high rise blocks use upside… Read more »
Hi Bill and thanks for your comment. You seem pretty adament that most people are determined to undermine fire safety by various means including removing doors, covering ventilation and taking off door closers. This isn’t something I’ve seen — in fact when I’ve lived in rented properties landlords have always been extremely strict with me on issues relating to fire safety. Granted, I can’t say the same for local authority housing as I’ve never lived there. Are these problems that you see very regularly? Is the problem therefore getting Local Authorities and landlords to enforce their rules more strictly, perhaps… Read more »
Hi Rob I think Bill hs a good point – the expense of retrofitting to each flat would be huge first a network of pipes top to bottom, then through walls into flats – resistance would be made by tennants. The equipment – booster pumps, huge storage tanks in the roof etc. mmmm I see problems. Bill has smacked the nail – Local authorities are strapped for cash – Who pays for say a quarterly inspection of each flat, each floor and each escape route? I hate my flat oooh who broke that sprinkler head while I was at the pub… Read more »
So it strikes me that the potential problems (apart from cost, that’s the big one…) with sprinklers is the potential for human interference. But then, Bill’s post highlighted that that is the biggest potential problem with fire doors and various passive fire protection methods. What’s to stop me putting a hole through this wall etc.
Maybe my faith in humanity is unduly intact, as I just can’t see this being the biggest problem. As you say Mike — having the conversation is at least a start.
Perhaps I can offer some facts in place of the speculation… I have been involved in the retrofit installation to a 12 storey block of flats in South Wales. It is now almost two years since the installation was completed and there has not been one incident of false activation, pipework leaks, or sprinkler head damage, either in the flats or in the common areas. The actual installation went surprisingly smoothly and involved about 3 hours work in each flat so disruption to the residents was minimal. The cost averaged out at around GB pound 1,100 per flat, and these… Read more »
I remember the Callow Mount installation and I was trying to find the article we wrote about it. Here it is: https://www.ifsecglobal.com/document.asp?doc_id=558492&site=ifsecglobal
£1150 was the figure according to that article, so you were pretty close @Sprinkerswales.
Great to hear the owner is delighted with the results, but one question — is that owner private or public-sector?
Thanks Rob, it was a mistype, the correct figure was GB pound 1,150 as you have indicated. I think the interesting point is that the costs pretty much compared favourably with each other, one being a fully commercial project and the other an ‘experiment’ to see how it would all work out.
Great point, yes, hadn’t noticed that. I wonder if anyone from the PFP circle has any push back?
Sorry, overlooked your question re the owner, it was a housing association.
Rob, excuse my ignorance…PFP circle?
Sorry. I broke my cardinal rule of using an abbreviation without defining it! Passive fire protection (PFP)!
As someone involved in the PFP circle, I see fire protection as a suited balance of all available fire protection measures. Certainly the use of sprinklers can be an effective solution. Some potential difficulties have been expressed re tampering etc but one other issue not mentioned is the variability of water pressure particularly at night when it has been said that water companies have turned down water pressure to reduce leakage. No doubt the design of a suitable sprinkler system would take that into account. Effective fire protection is not about substitution but having a strategy using complementary measures. Passive… Read more »
Just for more clarity: ADB – Approved Document B
ETA – European Technical Approval.
Must create an acronym directory…
Thanks for that really well put comment @Alastair Brockett