Fire Protection Association (FPA, UK) News

The London Fire Brigade has issued another e-bike safety warning after five people were rescued from a flat fire in St John’s Wood. Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters attended the scene at around 2am, which was under control by 02:56. Around half of the flat on the second floor of a block on Frampton Street was damaged by the fire. One resident was taken to hospital as a result. Correct safety standards The fire is believed to have been accidental and caused by a lithium-ion b...

A development for three new blocks of flats near Totterdown, Bristol, United Kingdom (UK) has been approved despite serious fire safety concerns. Housing developers - Donard have been granted permission to construct 221 flats over three blocks between York Street and Mead Street, two of which will be 11 storeys tall. The third tower, however, has only one escape route, and is at the centre of calls for a design overhaul. Council planning officers The apartments form a part of the wider Mead S...

An estate agent in Dawlish has received the maximum allowed fine for breaches of fire safety regulations at a residential property. David Force, retired but formerly of Force and Sons estate agents, pleaded guilty to three charges at Newton Abbot Magistrates Court on Monday, 15 August. The breaches were found at Mr. Force’s property at 9 Queen Street and related to the flat above the commercial let on the ground floor. Lack of fire escape means  Business Safety Officers from Devon...

The cause of the fire between London Bridge and Waterloo East stations has been identified as a pedicab. Ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters tackled a fire at a commercial property under railway arches on Union Street in Southwark, which crews described as ‘completely alight.’ Smoke could reportedly be seen for miles around. Affected train services A railway arch in Southwark used as a garage, and another nearby unit storing vehicles, including electric scooters and bikes,...

Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service (HFRS) was called upon to respond to a large blaze at Balmoral Drive, Borehamwood on Friday 12 August, where a shed fire had spread to the nearby block of flats. The three-storey block, owned by Clarion Housing Association, was evacuated of all residents as the fire impacted 21 flats, with 15 of them being destroyed. An emergency reception center was set up at a nearby leisure center where displaced residents received support with their accommodation needs,...

The Home Office has released statistics that provide a new analysis of automatic fire alarms by confirmed type. The figures include a count of the number of incidents classified as Automatic Fire Alarms at the time of call, by Fire and Rescue Service, by confirmed incident type at scene attendance, and by Financial Year, covering 2016/17 to 2021/22. Automatic Fire Alarms incidents  The work shows that in the year 2021/22, there were nearly 130,000 incidents classified as Automatic Fire A...

The child, now named as Sahara Salman, four years old, died after a terraced house collapsed as a result of the explosion. Three others are being treated in the hospital for their injuries. Merton Council has described the explosion as a "major incident." The gas explosion, which occurred in Thornton Heath, south London, happened at about 07:10 am on 8 August, damaging neighboring houses. Around 80 nearby homes were also evacuated, affecting around 100 people, who are being housed by the counci...

The British Standards Institution has published three new standards which set out competence requirements for building safety management, sponsored by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC). new standards  The new standards support industry reform in line with the new Building Safety Act and are intended to minimize safety risks and improve protection for consumers and occupants, including residents, in and about buildings. They also cover requirements for Prin...

Fire crews were called to an incident on Duckett Street in Stepney Green, London on 6 August. The blaze, which the London Fire Brigade's (LFB) investigators believe was caused by the failure of a Lithium-ion battery from an e-bike, damaged a first-floor flat in a three-story block. Nine residents of the block had already left the building when the Brigade arrived, and there were no reported injuries. Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters were called to the fire at 01:05, which was under...

One Housing began an investigation after residents of the block, which still has non-aluminum composite cladding installed, raised concerns about the waking watch’s response to a fire that occurred on 19 July. It concluded that “overall, it appears that the response was appropriate and timely”, but Residents have referred to the findings as “gaslighting” and a “joke”. flammable cladding The fire is believed to have started after a cigarette was thrown...

An outpatient diagnostic and rehabilitation unit at an Isle of Wight hospital has been deemed unfit for purpose due to fire safety failings. The Laidlaw unit at St Mary’s Hospital, Newport was found to have disconnected alarms in the roof space of the ward and ‘inadequately sized and positioned’ fire exits, as detailed in a report produced for the Isle of Wight NHS Trust. Fire safety failings This will mean that safe evacuation will be compromised, as there will be minimal w...

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published the third edition of their fire safety in construction (HSG168) guidance. HSG168 is aimed at everyone who procures, designs, develops, and manages construction sites, including clients and designers. HSG168 The document explains how everyone involved in construction projects can comply with their legal duties relating to fire risks and is relevant to all construction projects. The main changes to this edition are related to the elimination...

Since NFCC’s launch of the Person Centred Framework, fire and rescue services across the UK have been adopting the framework’s standards and methodologies. Following this success, a standardized data collection system to support Home Fire Safety Visits has been launched on their website. Standard Data Requirement The Standard Data Requirement for the Person Centred Framework is intended as best practice guidance, giving each service something to work towards. Standardized data...

The FPA’s Assembly Point podcast continues its second series with a deep dive into sprinkler and water-mist standards. In the latest episode of Assembly Point, the FPA’s suppression systems expert and Principal Consultant, Dale Kinnersley facilitate a technical discussion on sprinkler and water mist standards.  existing and new standards He is joined by Adrian Kay, Head of Technical Compliance and Quality Fire Suppression at Johnson Controls; Alan Crichton, Design Course Trai...

Leaseholders in high-rise buildings over 18 meters that are affected by cladding issues are eligible to apply for the fund. The government has also provided a new eligibility checker on its website. The fund opened on 28 July, for new applications from responsible entities of private or social sector buildings that meet the following criteria: Buildings that are 18 meters or above (with 30cm tolerance). Buildings have at least one qualifying residential leaseholder (except social-sector lan...

Consultations on implementing the new building control regime for higher-risk buildings and wider changes to the building regulations for all buildings have been announced by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities (DLUHC). The consultations opened on 20 July, and are due to close on 12 October 2022, with relevant experts including fire safety professionals, bodies, and associations invited to participate. Consultation on implementing the new building control regime and wider...

Major incidents were declared on Tuesday 19 July 2022 by fire services in London, Leicestershire, Hertfordshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Lincolnshire, and Yorkshire, following a devastating outbreak of fires on the hottest recorded day in the UK. nine fires In London, over 400 firefighters were tackling at least nine fires through the night that began on Tuesday. The London Fire Brigade (LFB) has detailed where their resources were sent as the day went on: 30 fire engines and 175 firefighters att...

A fire broke out in the Abbey View tower block in Watford on Tuesday 12 July 2022, caused by arson in the block’s bin storage area. The emergency services were called to the incident on Garsmouth Way, Watford at around 4:50 am, as the fire was spreading to flats on the lower floors of the 17-story block. Residents were evacuated from 94 of the tower’s flats.  Cause of fire The East of England ambulance service has confirmed that “other than one person treated on-scene f...

One in four buildings (28%) in London that have had ‘stay put’ advice suspended have been flagged up by the London Fire Brigade (LFB) for fire safety defects other than the unsafe cladding. fire safety issues These new figures, obtained by Labour’s London Assembly Fire and Resilience Spokesperson, Anne Clarke AM, reveal that as of June, 305 out of the 1099 buildings in London placed under a simultaneous evacuation policy were categorized as having ‘other fire safety i...

FireQual is pleased to announce its latest appointment to the Senior Management Team. Steve Skarratt, in their new position as Qualifications Manager, joins the organization from his former role as Head of Prevention and Protection Training at The Fire Service College. Throughout his career, Steve has been heavily involved in training and development including acting as Interim Head of Learning and Development at the College, and prior to that, Curriculum and Qualifications Manager at the Fire...

Building Safety and Fire Minister, Lord Stephen Greenhalgh has resigned from his position in the wake of Boris Johnson’s own resignation. During his tenure as Minister of State for Building Safety and Fire, Lord Greenhalgh was responsible for overseeing the building safety program, improving leasehold and freehold conditions for tenants, the Grenfell Tower recovery process, as well as the Public Inquiry into the Grenfell Tower tragedy. Regulatory system failures Lord Greenhalgh resigned...

The owner of the Main Top Hotel on Mersey Road in West Bank, Widnes, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on 28 April, after pleading guilty to nine breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. William Scott Anthony Hanson, of Cooper Street, Widnes, was brought charges after being served a Prohibition Notice, following an inspection in June 2019, which Hanson did not comply with. Fire safety breach When Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) officers undertook the initial in...

At least one person has died and three others have been taken to hospital as a result of a fire and explosion at a block of flats on Redwood Grove, Bedford, just after 9 am on Monday 4 July. Of those affected, two people were seriously injured, and a firefighter was hospitalized for smoke inhalation after the fire. East of England Ambulance Service airlifted one person to Addenbrooke’s Hospital with leg injuries. cause of the explosion Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service have confirmed...

The FPA’s expert surveyors have been conducting comprehensive, non-destructive fire compartmentation surveys and delivering detailed reports for several years.  It are delighted to announce that they have recently developed new technology to significantly improve the outputs for customers. New technology benefits Using a tablet device, FPA's software application enables their surveyors to upload building floor plans, which are used to describe the compartmentation strategy and iden...

The FPA’s expert surveyors have been conducting comprehensive, non-destructive fire compartmentation surveys and delivering detailed reports for several years. They are delighted to announce that they have recently developed new technology to significantly improve the outputs for the customers. New technology benefits Using a tablet device, the software application enables the surveyors to upload building floor plans which are used to describe the compartmentation strategy, and identif...

An Ofcom investigation report, released on 20 June, found Channel 4 to be in breach of its broadcasting license as some programs went almost two months without subtitles, sign language, or audio description. fire-suppressant gas system On 25 September 2021, the fire-suppressant gas system was triggered at Red Bee Media, a broadcast center that provides services such as subtitling for Channel 4, as well as the BBC and Channel 5, destroying hard disks and affecting hundreds of hours of programmi...

Improving the quality of the built environment is one of the core objectives of the Fire Protection Association and to support this they have created one of the most versatile and comprehensive fire testing and research facilities in the UK. They have recently expanded the testing capabilities at the laboratory in Gloucestershire by investing in a new material identification testing service to help identify the type of insulation material used on a building. How are samples tested? A total of...

Improving the quality of the built environment is one of the core objectives of the Fire Protection Association, and to support this it has created one of the most versatile and comprehensive fire testing and research facilities in the UK. FPA has recently expanded our testing capabilities at its laboratory in Gloucestershire by investing in a new material identification testing service to help identify the type of insulation material used on a building. How are samples tested? A total of thr...

Barbour has published a round-up of recent fire safety legislation changes, following a busy year for parliament. The round-up aims to provide a short, digestible precis of the many updates seen in recent months, notably following recommendations from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 report. key points in fire safety legislation changes Highlighting the key points from each, users can quickly catch up on the measures to improve fire safety, which aim to drive forward reform of the Fire and...

The offenses included the failure to maintain working fire alarms and emergency lighting systems, failure to keep escape routes clear, and a lack of measures to stop fire and smoke from spreading. The charges were brought against Mr. Marshall following inspections by South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, who also discovered that there had not been a suitable fire risk assessment undertaken for the properties. During the inspections, conditions in one of the properties were found to be so da...