London Fire Brigade News

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...

London Fire Brigade’s first Commissioner in 75 years to have served as a commissioned officer in the British army signs a covenant with the UK armed forces. The agreement formalizes the Brigade’s commitment to supporting the Armed Forces community and recognizes the contribution to the country that serving military personal, veterans and their families have made and continue to make. Wider Military Family It is a great honor that one of my first official duties is to sign the Arme...

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, appoints Andy Roe as London’s new Fire Commissioner. Andy Roe will take up the post as the head of London Fire Brigade (LFB) on 1 January 2020, following a comprehensive international recruitment process. He will be taking over from Dany Cotton who last week announced she would be stepping down as Commissioner at the end of December. Andy Roe will be responsible for leading the transformational change needed at LFB and will work closely with the Deputy May...

The London Fire Commissioner, Dany Cotton, has announced she will be stepping down from her position at London Fire Brigade on 31 December. The Commissioner had previously announced in June that she intended to retire from the fire and rescue service in April 2020, but in consultation with City Hall it has been agreed that Dany will bring that forward to the end of this year to enable a timely handover to the next Commissioner, as the Brigade works to urgently deliver the recommendations of the...

The Phase 1 report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, released Oct. 30, examines events of 14 June, 2017, when 71 people were killed in a high-rise building fire at Grenfell Tower, a residential tower block in North Kensington, London. The report finds London Fire Brigade’s planning and preparation for such a fire was “gravely inadequate.” The report reflects the first phase of the inquiry. Investigators will consider problems related to design, maintenance and renovation of Grenf...

The Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection (vfdb) and the German Fire Brigade Association reacted with incomprehension to the prejudgment of the London Fire Brigade in connection with the Grenfell Tower fire in London. 72 people died in the disaster two years ago.  In numerous media reports, the fire brigade has now been blamed for the deaths of numerous people due to alleged serious errors of a 'systematic nature', citing the previously announced investigation report...

In partnership with London Fire Brigade, BAFSA will host a free to attend seminar on the 30th October at LFB HQ in Union Street, London SE1 0LL. This one day event will have a packed program of presentations, delivered by experts and practitioners focusing on the topic “Safer homes – safer communities”. It is beneficial for those people whose professional role encompasses the protection of people, their homes and communities from fire. This seminar is targeted towards those pe...

Securitas welcomed top Fire Cadets to the Fire Service College in Moreton-in-Marsh, for an action-packed firefighting weekend giving graduate cadets a safe and realistic insight into firefighting. Securitas’ fire and safety instructors In addition to classroom demonstrations, the young cadets gained hands-on experience as they took part in real-life scenarios under the supervision of the Securitas’ highly skilled, trained fire and safety instructors.  Scenarios included tackli...

GMB, the union representing school staff, are shocked and concerned by figures recently released by the London Fire Brigade, that report that of all 57 fires in schools across the capital attended by the LFB in the past year, not one of the schools were fitted with sprinklers also known as Automatic Fire Suppression System (AFSS). GMB Supporting LFB Campaign GMB is supporting the LFB campaign to ensure all schools are fitted with sprinklers by urging GMB members to contact their local members...

New figures released show that no schools, which have had fires recently, had sprinklers fitted. This year alone, London Fire Brigade had attended 57 fires in schools in the capital and new figures released by the Brigade show that not a single school had an automatic fire suppression system (AFSS) fitted. The Brigade has long been calling for sprinklers to become a mandatory requirement in schools. In particular, they want sprinklers to be mandatory in all new school builds and for all schools...

GMB, the union representing school staff, are shocked and concerned by figures recently released by the London Fire Brigade, that report that of all 57 fires in schools across the capital attended by the LFB in the past year, not one of the schools were fitted with sprinklers also known as automatic fire suppression system (AFSS). GMB supports the LFB campaign to ensure all schools are fitted with sprinklers by urging GMB members to contact their local members of parliament and tell them they w...

Avon Fire and Rescue Service (AF&RS) is delighted to announce that one of its stations has won a national energy reduction competition. Fire and Rescue Services from across the country took part in the energy-saving competition to reduce energy consumption over a four-month period throughout the winter, with Avonmouth fire station topping the leaderboard. The competition involved 66 fire stations from Avon, Essex, Greater Manchester, Hertfordshire, London and Scotland. Avonmouth fire statio...

A fire at Veolia’s recycling center off the Old Kent Road was likely caused by a wrongly-disposed lithium battery, the company said. Veolia issued a warning to Southwark residents to safely dispose of their waste after the fire, to which four fire engines and 25 firefighters were called. There were no injuries, added the London Fire Brigade – but it said the incident could’ve been worse if a sprinkler system hadn’t been in place. 500kg of recyclable materials were damaged...

Xact is delighted to announce that it has won a five-year contract with London Fire Brigade to provide fire safety training to its inspecting officers. London Fire Brigade contract It marks a hat trick for the training provider with the UK’s busiest brigade, having already scooped two other LFB contracts earlier this year to provide courses and qualifications in Level 5 Diploma Fire Engineering Design and HTM Healthcare Premises. LFB are looking forward to developing our partnership with...

Fire engines and other emergency vehicles can also meet the requirements of the Euro VI emissions standard. According to the Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection (vfdb), existing exemptions that still allow EU standard V for such vehicles will no longer be necessary in the future.  Extensive experience from the fire departments in Berlin, Hamburg and Hanover has shown that there are no significant performance restrictions in driving and operational operations, said...

Kent Fire and Rescue Service is one of two fire services in the UK now carrying escape hoods to protect members of the public from toxic smoke at fires. The introduction of the new kit comes as a result of collaborative working with London Fire Brigade, who’ve also issued the hoods to their crews. The hoods have a filter which provide up to 15 minutes protection from four of the main fire gases (carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen chloride and acrolein) and can be worn by consciou...

The topic of 'Fire Protection 4.0' is the focus of the 65th annual conference of the Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection (vfdb) from May 28th to 30th in Duisburg. Under the motto “How sustainable is German fire protection?” Experts from home and abroad will provide information about the current state of science and technology in more than 50 lectures. Around 700 participants are expected. The conference is accompanied by a large specialist exhibition. It demonstr...

Standards are being set with fire and rescue services in the UK adopting escape hoods to protect trapped and injured people from toxic smoke during evacuation at fires. Latest figures show in the year 2017/2018 firefighters attended 717,890 incidents in the UK, with 213,464 being fires. Fire related fatalities totalled 401 and there were 5113 non-fatal fire related casualties requiring hospital treatment. The London Fire Brigade is the first in the UK to carry the PARAT 5550 to protect members...