Fire safety in tall buildings
How City workers had to evacuate London’s Gherkin building after fire alert
Several hundred staff and city workers were recently evacuated from the iconic ‘Gherkin’ skyscraper in London’s financial district, following the discovery of a fire in the building’s basement.
As reported in the Evening Standard, city workers were directed out of the building – official name ‘30 St Mary Axe‘ – by fire crews just after 8.30am but were back at their desks by 9.45am, once the incident had been properly investigated. Workers had been evacuated as part of fire safety protocol.
The evacuation followed reports of the smell of smoke from a generator room. A burnt out fuse was found to be the cause.
Four fire crews, including 21 fire fighters, were sent to the scene and a police cordon was reportedly put in place to control crowds.
The fire incident came just a day after the Westminster Bridge terrorist attack, which put the capital city on high alert.
A police cordon was used to keep passersby at a safe distance.
Are you involved in the design, construction or fire-risk management processes related to tall buildings?
The International Tall Building Fire Safety Conference is once again taking place at FIREX International (20-22 June 2017, London ExCeL).
Recognised by the Institution of Fire Engineers, the conference will feature tall-building fire case studies, advice on fire risk management and information on tall building firefighting, delivered by highly respected subject matter experts.
Here are the themes for each of the three days:
- Tues 20 June: Design and Fire Engineering in Tall Buildings
- Weds 21 June: Management and Insurance of Fire Risk in Tall Buildings
- Thurs 22 June: Firefighting in Tall Buildings
To find out more, download the latest schedule or contact [email protected] about securing your place.
The Future of Fire Safety: download the eBook
Is the fire protection industry adapting to the post-Grenfell reality fast enough? At FIREX International 2019, Europe's only dedicated fire safety event, some of the world's leading fire safety experts covered this theme. This eBook covers the key insights from those discussions on the developments shaping the profession, with topics including:
- Grenfell Inquiry must yield “bedrock change” – and soon
- After Grenfell: Jonathan O’Neill OBE on how austerity and policy “on the hoof” are hampering progress
- Hackitt’s Golden Thread: Fire, facilities and building safety
- Fire safety community has to “get on board” with technological changes
How City workers had to evacuate London’s Gherkin building after fire alert
Several hundred staff and city workers were recently evacuated from the iconic 'Gherkin' skyscraper in London’s financial district, following the discovery of a fire in the building’s basement.
Sara Verbruggen
IFSEC Global | Security and Fire News and Resources
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