London Fire Brigade News

London Fire Brigade has made improvements and has therefore been removed from an enhanced level of monitoring by the fire inspectorate. His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) continuously monitors the performance of all fire and rescue services in England. The monitoring process consists of two stages: Scan and Engage. All fire and rescue services are in routine monitoring under the Scan stage by default, but may be escalated to enhanced...

Hunter Apparel Solutions Limited (Hunter) was honored to host Station Officer Adam Stone of the London Fire Brigade at their state-of-the-art LCO2 care and maintenance facility. During his visit, Station Officer Stone explored the revolutionary potential of the proprietary LCO2+ decontamination technology — a solution in protecting firefighters from occupational diseases. Station Office Stone’s evaluation of the LCO2+ system marks a significant moment in occupational health for fire...

Fire poses a significant risk to the hospitality sector. Apart from causing costly damage and bringing operations to a halt, it can seriously undermine the organization’s brand. The evidence suggests fire is fairly commonplace in the industry; according to the government’s latest figures, hotels are one of the most vulnerable types of buildings, with 263 out of every 1,000 experiencing a fire in the period September 2012–September 2019. Pubs, restaurants, and takeaways fared s...

Door & Hardware Federation (DHF) is once again demonstrating its continuing support for Fire Door Safety Week, a national safety awareness campaign that was first launched in 2013, and in response to a legacy of fire door neglect. The campaign aims to encourage a greater public understanding of the vital role that fire doors play in protecting life and property. Performance of a fire door In particular, the campaign aims to raise awareness of the critical role that fire doors play in the...

Six years on from the Grenfell Tower fire and there is still so much to be said. It is hard to believe just how many things went wrong. Not only on the night of the fire, but the decades before, and the time that followed. The misconduct in practice and errors of judgment from all parties turned what should have been a ‘normal flat fire’ into one of the deadliest modern-day residential fires this country has seen. After closely following the Grenfell Tower public inquiry, one theme...

In the immediate aftermath of Grenfell, investigators found multiple examples of non-compliance in terms of best practice and workmanship. It was clear that a series of professional and institutional failings contributed to the fire. However, what also emerged was a worrying lack of clarity surrounding regulations and compliance processes. Hackitt Review findings The Hackitt Review, the main post-Grenfell fire safety inquiry, described roles and responsibilities for building safety as ‘...

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) will be joining fire services across the United Kingdom (UK) to celebrate and recognize the incredible work women across fire and rescue services carry out every day. This year’s theme is #EmbraceEquity, promoting a gender equal world, free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. NFCC supports fire services to be inclusive The National Fire Chiefs Council want to see more women and people from d...

The Fotokite Sigma has recently been mentioned as one of the more common tethered drones used by police and fire departments to provide simple and easy situational awareness. Drones (including tethered drones) are becoming critical tools for all kinds of use cases in law enforcement and firefighting. In many aspects of their emergency operations, a new era driven by drone usage is emerging, featured in the latest article, ‘11 Ways Police Departments are using drones’ from Police1.co...

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue has responded to the Independent Cultural Review of the London Fire Brigade. Chief Fire Officer - Chris Kirby, said: “The report makes difficult reading for anyone working in the fire and rescue service. It shouldn’t need saying - but there is absolutely no place for the negative behavior and attitudes described in the report in any modern workplace, let alone the fire and rescue service." Independent Cultural Review of the London Fire Brigade Chr...

An independent culture review has revealed a plethora of failings regarding the internal culture and well-being of staff at the London Fire Brigade (LFB), labeling it as “institutionally misogynist and racist”. The commissioned review published on 25 November 2022 was carried out by the former Chief Crown Prosecutor for north-west England, Nazir Afzal OBE. independent investigation findings  The report forms the outcome of an independent investigation that was requested by Lo...

A hotel owner has been fined £50,000 for continuing to allow guests to check in to his East London hotel despite being issued with a prohibition notice for serious fire safety failings. deficiency in fire safety When inspectors from the London Fire Brigade (LFB) first visited The Bank Hotel in Barking in May 2018, they saw numerous examples of deficiencies in fire safety regulations that were enough to warrant a prohibition notice. Some of these included a lack of fire doors, no smoke de...

A record number of visitors attended the award-winning Emergency Services Show at the NEC on 21 and 22 September, 2022. The UK’s event for the emergency services attracted over 10,100 visitors and buyers for the first time in its history, with strong representation from across all the emergency services including police, fire & rescue, ambulance, and search & rescue. The show’s visitors attended a program of over 80 CPD-accredited seminars running in six theatres covering Le...

According to the latest Home Office report, released recently, false alarms make up 98% of automatic fire alarm confirmed incidents in 2020/21; 90% of this figure is due to faulty apparatus. The research from the Home Office, which was collated from Fire and Rescue services across the country from the last financial year, shows that just 2% of the incidents from automatic fire alarms were a result of an actual fire. Life safety product Most of the false alarms could easily be avoided with pro...

Firefighters from across the country are joining SYFR’s weekly mental health walking group, Walk and Talk 999, in walking the Yorkshire Three Peaks. The Walk Providers, Jim Bright, Matt Winslow, and Nick Abbott, will be pioneering the trek on Saturday 10 September in support of World Suicide Prevention Day and to raise money for The Firefighters Charity and Calm Suicide Awareness Charity. They will be supported by firefighters from the London Fire Brigade and Norwich. Walk and Talk...

Fires remain the greatest threat facing those responsible for safeguarding the built heritage. While other risks such as theft, flood and even insect or fungal infestation can damage buildings and their contents, only fire can destroy them completely. Each year, throughout the world, there are fires in all types of historic and heritage buildings – in 2019 alone there were 400 serious fires recorded in such properties. A number of these fire outbreaks reach serious proportions, where mea...

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...

MSA Safety Incorporated (MSA) has announced that it has been awarded a US$ 9 million contract from the London Fire Brigade to supply firefighters with MSA’s new M1 Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) and telemetry technology. The contract was formally awarded in early July, 2022, with the equipment deliveries expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2022. Multi-phase SCBA training and deployment process The announcement also represents the beginning of a multi-phase SCBA train...

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...

Fire and rescue services across the country have attended an unprecedented number of calls during the recent spell of hot weather, managing in very difficult conditions despite the huge increase in demand.  Control room staff in fire and rescue services have been dealing thousands upon thousands of calls and ensuring help gets to where it is needed as quickly as possible. The Chair of the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) briefed the prime minister on the situation and hourly reports ar...

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...

London Fire Brigade is investing in the development of an electric-hybrid fire engine, as part of its commitment to significantly reduce carbon emissions, supporting the Mayor of London’s ambition for London to be net zero carbon by 2030 and build a greener and safer city for everyone. The Brigade is currently working with Emergency One, the UK’s leading manufacturer of specialist fire and rescue service appliances, to build a Zero Emission Capable Pumping Appliance (ZEPA1). The Bri...

London Fire Brigade (LFB) sent around 60 firefighters, in eight appliances to a tower block on Queensdale Crescent, less than a mile away from Grenfell Tower, where a flat on the 12th floor was ablaze on 21 June, 2022. The LFB arrived at the scene at Stebbing House at around 9:20 am, with the fire under control by 10:55 am. The fire is believed to have been caused by a charging electric scooter. Fire risk assessment According to a report by Construction News, a recent fire risk assessment by...

Research by Luxfer Gas Cylinders into how back, joint and limb pain affect firefighter health is released, ahead of Interschutz 2022. Fire services could be losing an average of 25 staff days per year, for each team member affected by poor musculoskeletal (MSK) health – thought to be around one in four firefighters. Luxfer, the industry-renowned manufacturer of lightweight, durable, high-performance SCBA cylinders, investigated the prevalence and impact of musculoskeletal health issues, i...

The London Fire Brigade (LFB) is in serious need of funding to tackle the building safety crisis, according to Commissioner Andy Roe. A total of 1,100 of London’s buildings above 11 meters are currently listed by the LFB as having serious fire safety issues. While this represents a slight drop from 1,174 in March, the capital has had more than 1,000 unsafe buildings for almost a year, and the real number of unsafe buildings could be much higher. City Hall Plenary meeting At a City Hall...

The LFB accepted every recommendation made by the Grenfell Tower Inquiry and has already implemented 26 of the 29 recommendations directed specifically at the LFB and other fire and rescue services. One key recommendation has seen the introduction of an electronic system to record Fire Survival Guidance (FSG) call information in the control room and display it simultaneously in command units and at the bridgehead – a safe working space at least two floors below the fire). The FSG app...

Possibly the most common question asked. The simple answer is quite probably, yes. Every property (excluding a single occupancy domestic home) from an HMO to a block of flats, care home, nursery, school, community center, warehouse, hotel the list goes on MUST by law, have a “regular” fire risk assessment completed.  Fire risk assessment Under the “Regulatory Reform (fire safety) Order 2005” it is law that "The responsible person must make a suitable and sufficient...

Footage filmed from nearby buildings, and shared on social media, showed the fire raging and starting to spread from a flat on the 17th floor of the building. The alarm was raised shortly after 4 pm, and over 125 fire personnel responded, with crews from Whitechapel, Shoreditch, Dowgate, Bethnal Green, Dockhead, Old Kent Road and Islington all in attendance. The fire was brought under control by 7 pm after London Fire Brigade had mobilized a 64-meter turntable ladder - the tallest firefighting...

A care home business run by private health and care provider - BUPA has been ordered to pay more than £1 million after a resident died in a fire, while smoking at one of its care homes. In what is thought to be the largest ever fine for fire safety breaches in the UK, BUPA Care Services (ANS) Ltd was fined £937,500 and ordered to pay £104,000 costs at Southwark Crown Court on 5 January. Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order London Fire Brigade brought the prosecution under t...

A landlord has been found guilty of a series of fire safety failings that left residents with only one option to escape a fire: via a restaurant with a metal shutter that was closed at night. Inspection London Fire Brigade inspectors visited the takeaway restaurant on New North Road in Islington after concerns were raised by one of the tenants and the local council.  There was residential accommodation on the first and second floors of the building with the takeaway on the ground floor....

A London property management company has been fined in excess of £80,000 for serious fire safety deficiencies in an Islington block of flats. London Fire Brigade inspectors made two visits to the five-story building on Danbury Street in Islington, which consists of more than 40 self-contained flats. The building is managed by Eurolets (UK) Limited. Fire Safety Order breaches The inspectors found severe breaches of the Fire Safety Order, including a lack of fire extinguishers, a non-func...