London Fire Brigade News

Over 70 colleagues from the fire sector gathered at the Oriental Club in Stratford Place, London to celebrate the FPA's platinum jubilee. Guests included current and former government ministers, and staff from the NFCC, IFE, and the London Fire Brigade, among many others. More than merely a victory lap or a gathering of old friends, the event was also a poignant reminder of what can be achieved within the sector with a collective and unified voice, and a singular message.  FPA C...

A 2015 survey found that globally firefighters are the most trusted profession worldwide. The fire service provides a vital role during flood events, rescuing members of the public, who may be trapped in their homes, pumping out flooded properties, and recovering stranded vehicles. However, many would not require this assistance, if they had been better prepared prior to a flood. And such preparation could help free up emergency services resources for others. Extreme rainfall and flooding Mor...

The Brigade currently has just 24 fire safety advisers and nearly 200 Inspecting Officers, but with the pressure to inspect high-rise buildings, it must increase its workforce. The Brigade will use part of the £9.4 million it received from the Home Office to improve its fire protection activities. It has already used some of this funding to create a Building Risk Review team to review the 8,000 high-rise residential blocks in London. This work is due to be completed by December this year....

The London Fire Brigade successfully prosecuted a West London building owner, after major breaches of fire safety law were discovered, following a major blaze three years ago. On 9 August 2018, firefighters were called to a fire at a flat above a shop on Queensway in Bayswater, West London. It took 70 firefighters and ten fire engines to control the blaze that ravaged half of the four-story building. Two women were rescued from the building and treated for smoke inhalation at the scene. Absenc...

Module 5 of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry focuses on firefighting, with opening statements setting out a detailed analysis of operational, cultural, and leadership shortcomings of the London Fire Brigade. The Inquiry is interested in how the London Fire Brigade trained and prepared its staff for responding to fires in all buildings as construction methods have changed over the decades. Different legal firms Module 5 began with opening statements from three different legal firms, representing the...

Electric bikes and scooters are a newly popular way to travel through urban environments. However, the nifty devices come with a fire risk that could be deadly. In London, firefighters have responded to more than 25 fires, involving e-bikes or e-scooters in recent months, some of them significant incidents with serious injuries. Lithium-ion batteries pose fire risks The fire hazards of e-bikes and e-scooters stem from their use of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that can erupt into flames....

Online supermarket - Ocado has suffered another robot fire at one of its fulfilment centers, impacting deliveries across south east England. The fire on 16 July was caused by three robots colliding on the grid that controls the fulfilment of shopping orders at the technology firm. Fifteen fire engines The fulfilment centre processes over 150,000 orders a week for the joint venture between Ocado and Marks and Spencer. More than 1,000 robots move around the grid, collecting food from crates and...

A London Fire Brigade investigation into a residential high-rise fire in Poplar revealed that the building’s ventilation systems failed to clear toxic smoke from escape routes putting the lives of residents at risk. In a report published on 1 June, fire investigators found that smoke detectors on the floor of the fire failed to operate the Automatic Opening Vent (AOV) and the cross-corridor fire doors. This meant that the smoke collected in the hallways and prevented the safe escape...

The Skills Network, the UK’s largest online learning provider, partners with the London Fire Brigade to launch Project Kestrel - offering frontline security staff the opportunity to gain a nationally recognized fire awareness certificate. Having previously partnered with the likes of the NHS, The Landmark London and BrewDog to provide online courses for staff, The Skills Network has developed a fire awareness course to enable security staff to; upskill, be able to confidently identify fir...

The new edition of the biannual BAFSA member publication, Focus provides a round-up of work taking place in the sprinkler industry. John McCann, BAFSA Chairman welcomed members to the June 2021 edition of Focus magazine, the voice of the automatic water-based fire suppression industry. He reflected on the pressures faced by the construction industry resulting from pent-up demand from COVID-19, as well as the ensuing scarcity and rising costs of building materials.  He is delighted that mo...

West Midlands Fire Service starts a 12-month trial of aerial drones to provide valuable footage to help with responding to fires and for fire investigations. The drones will be used to take video footage and high-resolution still images above incidents. Drones Drones can provide improve situational awareness for those in charge of incidents, helping decision-making and operational response. The six drones that WMFS will be using over the next year are M2ED drones that have a 30-minute flight...

A fire broke out at New Providence Wharf, a high-rise residential building in East London, where cladding was due to be removed. London Fire Brigade firefighters tackled a blaze in a 19-story building where parts of the 8th, 9th, and 10th floors were alight. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus carried out multiple rescues and two men were taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation. cladding remediation The London Ambulance Service said they had treated a number of people ...

Drones give Incident Commanders an aerial view, increasing their situational awareness of fires and helping them to develop tactics to tackle them. Station Officer Lee Newman details how the technology was implemented by London Fire Brigade and the continued benefits. Identify external risks The Grenfell Tower fire has resulted in revisions to several operational procedures and the introduction of new equipment within the Brigade. A few months after the fire, the Brigade was tasked with sett...

The UK Government has published its second quarterly update on progress to meet the Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommendations, highlighting the breadth of work taking place. In a useful development, the UK Government is providing thematic updates of the work taking place by the government, the London Fire Brigade, the National Fire Chiefs Council, and other bodies to respond to the 46 recommendations made by Sir Martin Moore-Bick in his Phase 1 report. update Key changes in this quarter include:...

Esri UK announces a new partnership with drone specialists heliguy™ to complete its end-to-end drone solution for the emergency services industry. The final piece in Esri UK’s strategy to offer all parts of the drone workflow, the partnership will provide customers with drone hardware, payloads, and pilot training from heliguy, combined with Esri’s drone flight planning, data capture, data processing, and GIS software. Desktop data processing Esri UK and heliguy will work on...

In 1965, Greater London Council ordered six Commer Cobs to be used BACVs (Breathing Apparatus Control Vehicles). DYC32C ended up, at least to start with, in Bromley. It remained with the Fire Brigade until 1977 when it was sold out of the service. Of the six ordered, DYC32C is believed to be the only one that survives today. The Commer was, at one point, owned by a builder who cared little for the fire-based heritage and then used it as a van. However, it survived the cement dust and was sold a...

Vimpex has supplied Agrippa wireless acoustic fire door holders to hold open fire doors at the HQ of one of England’s largest housing associations to provide an easy and effective method of infection control, while not impacting on fire safety. A COVID-secure risk assessment identified the need to reduce the touching of fire door locks and door handles at the organization’s administration offices by staff and visitors. “Reducing the spread of germs and bacteria has never been...

Firefighting kit has a number of functions. It protects crew members in a wide range of situations and makes them instantly recognizable in an emergency. Replacing the firefighting kit at the right time keeps fire firefighters and rescue personnel safe and comfortable, no matter what the emergency. Call outs for firefighters  According to the UK Home Office, in the last year, 28 per cent of call-outs for firefighters and rescue staff involved responding to fires, 42 per cent of call outs...

Parents and teachers are being warned not to give their children real candles for nativities, carol concerts, and other festive activities. Events will look slightly different this year with Government restrictions in place, but some services are still due to go ahead while others could take place virtually and London Fire Brigade is concerned about the potential for injury. The warning follows a serious accident in December last year when a child was badly burnt after his costume came into co...

LFB crews were called to a rapidly developing fire on the sixth floor external balcony of Tweed Walk Tower Hamlets – a twelve storey apartment block. The fire spread horizontally along the balcony from the seat of the fire affecting the balcony of the adjacent dwelling. Due to the intensity of the fire the patio doors/glazing located adjacent to the seat of the fire failed. The prompt activation of the Automatic Fire Suppression System (AFSS) restricted the fire damage to the glazing unit...

Burnt cooking in the kitchen of a residential block of flats of three floors in Waddon Court Road, was the cause of a fire which, from the limited information provided, was controlled by a Personal Protection system. The fire was all out on arrival with no firefighting action completed by crews. Local enquiries are currently being completed by the local fire safety team. One sprinkler head actuated in the kitchen of a five roomed flat on the 11th floor of a twenty-one story block of flats in Lan...

Firefighters working for the busiest fire and rescue service in the UK will receive expert training from a De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) scientist who specializes in the flammability of skincare products and fire investigation. Dr Sarah Hall, Senior Lecturer in Forensic Analytical Chemistry and Forensic Science at DMU’s Leicester School of Pharmacy, was contacted by the London Fire Brigade to share her expertise as part of their training package, to help firefighters better under...

During the Grenfell Tower fire incident in 2017, ineffective fire doors allowed smoke and toxic gases to spread through the building more quickly than should have been possible. Sir Martin Moore-Bick made this finding in the conclusion to Phase 1 of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. It serves to highlight the importance that fire doors play in protecting life and property. Grenfell Inquiry findings The Grenfell Inquiry findings have impacted subsequent United Kingdom government guidance and proposed...

Suffolk FRS was mobilized to a commercial Kitchen fire in a unit contained within a multi-occupied Shopping Centre. The BS EN 12845 sprinkler system operated via 1 quick response sprinkler head which not only suppressed but extinguished the fire prior to the arrival of operational crews. Fire/smoke damage was contained to the room of origin, operational crews assisted with salvage and worked extremely hard/well with center staff. The unit of origin was planning to reopen in the afternoon with a...

New aerial ladders that are more responsive to drive, faster to set up and with greater rescue capabilities are soon to hit the streets of London as the Brigade continues to improve its ability to deal with high rise incidents. Twelve new 32 meter appliances known as turntable ladders are part of the aerial replacement project and have many improvements on the existing fleet, the biggest being that the ladder articulates, allowing for greater maneuverability. The articulating top section means...

BAFSA, the British Automatic Fire Sprinkler Association Ltd is delighted to report that the London Assembly has launched a powerful and comprehensive report calling for the mandatory installation sprinklers in all new homes in England. London Assembly Report In the opening statement of this proposal, Navin Shah, Chair of the London Assembly, stated “We pay our respects to all those who have died in fires in their place of residency and those who’ve been affected. Our thoughts are p...

On 21st July, 2020, a call was received by BAFSA (British Automatic Fire Sprinkler Association) member, Triangle Fire Systems advising the company of a fire break out in a flat, on the 4th floor at 1-133 Garnet Road, Thornton Heath, in London, United Kingdom. The call was a result of the sprinkler alarm signaling the call center. BS9251 sprinkler system This building is a sheltered housing and Triangle Fire Systems had, retrospectively, installed a BS9251 sprinkler system supplied by a tank an...

Retail giant Amazon has removed a number of barbecues specifically designed for use on balconies from sale over serious safety concerns highlighted by London Fire Brigade. The Brigade’s Deputy Commissioner Richard Mills wrote to the firm and other companies that stock or manufacture the products last month, stating that they are a serious concern with regards to public safety. Amazon and gift retailer Menkind both responded, confirming they had removed the items from sale and contacted cu...

Emergency services were called to the scene shortly after 12.30 pm with crews from Lambeth and surrounding area deployed to the scene as well. Huge amounts of smoke could be seen pouring out of the ground floor of Walters House on the Brandon Estate in Kennington this afternoon. London Fire Brigade have confirmed that eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters tackled a flat fire on Otto Street in Kennington. The whole of a flat on the first floor was damaged by fire. under investigation St...

A huge blaze had broken out at a block of flats in north London. Firefighters were scrambled to the scene in Acacia Road, Wood Green, just before 10pm on Wednesday night. Dramatic images showed flames ripping through the roof of the building and rising into the night sky as terrified neighbors watched on. Witnesses told of their shock as they took to social media to share footage of the enormous fire. About 20 people were evacuated by fire crews using breathing apparatus. Three of them were tre...