High-rise buildings on an inspection list are not inherently unsafe say fire officers, as they report good progress in their mission to visit every high-rise residential block in South Yorkshire. South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue (SYFR) has published the list of high-rise residential buildings forming part of its ‘Building Risk Review’ project.
The list includes buildings identified by the central government plus extra buildings identified by the SYFR- which made the decision to include all buildings of six storeys and over. Buildings are on the list because of their height- not because they are automatically deemed unsafe.
High-rise residential buildings
A dedicated team of fire safety inspectors was set up to complete the work in South Yorkshire
The ambitious, government-funded project tasked fire and rescue services with returning information on all high-rise residential buildings by the end of this year.
A dedicated team of fire safety inspectors was set up to complete the work in South Yorkshire. From an original list of around 300 buildings, there are now less than 70 left for them to inspect as part of this work.
fire and rescue services
Area Manager - Simon Dunker, said: “It’s really important for residents to understand that this list does not mean that those buildings are inherently unsafe- just that we want to ensure we have accurate, up-to-date information on these buildings and are able to provide this information to government."
Simon Dunker adds, “Like all fire and rescue services, the government issued us with a list of high-rise residential buildings for which they have requested further information on. Having cross-referenced this list with our own local information, the list of buildings we are inspecting as part of this work has grown to beyond those which are simply over 18 meters high. This is because we want to be really clear about what is and isn’t in scope and be as thorough as we can possibly be."
Findings of the Grenfell inquiry
Simon Dunker continues: “We have invested in a dedicated inspection team to complete this work and intend to complete it as quickly and as thoroughly as we can, to ensure the ongoing safety of residents in South Yorkshire. We are well on course to have completed this work before the end of December 2021.”
He further said, “We hope this work will provide reassurance to residents in the wake of the initial findings of the Grenfell inquiry and illustrate resident safety remains our priority. Where we identify an issue with a building, we will then work with building owners and managers to ensure any necessary work is carried out.”
Fire safety inspecting officers not directly involved in this project will continue to inspect other buildings across South Yorkshire regardless of height in accordance with their risk-based audit program.
