The Grenfell Tower tragedy in 2017 has led to us receiving many questions from people living in high rise buildings. As such, we have collated a number of answers to our most frequently asked questions, which will be regularly reviewed and updated.
Has Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service’s approach changed following Grenfell?
No, how we deal with incidents in high rise premises has stayed the same. If you have a fire or become aware of a fire in your home, which includes blocks of flats, you should get out, stay out and call us out. If you live in a block of flats where your landlord has advised you to ‘stay put’ in the event of a fire, this is their advice, based on an individual fire risk assessment for that building – click here for more information.
What happened at Grenfell Tower?
Phase one of the official public inquiry has now been completed, and phase two is due to start in 2020. The report on phase one and the schedule for phase two can be found on the Inquiry’s website.
What has DWFRS done in response to Grenfell?
We inspected over 180 high rise residential buildings across its area in the immediate aftermath of Grenfell and a programme of reinspection is already underway to check fire safety compliance and continue reassuring residents that their buildings are safe.
Amongst the areas checked by the Service are fire risk assessments, means of escape from the building, fire doors, fire alarms, evacuation plans and emergency lighting.
DWFRS continues to promote the fitting of sprinkler systems in all buildings, as they are known to save lives and reduce property damage.
Anyone living in Dorset and Wiltshire can request a free Safe & Well visit from the Fire and Rescue Service – call 0800 038 2323 or click here.
Why is there normally no common fire alarm throughout a high rise building?
A common fire alarm system is designed to alert everyone within a building at the same time. Where a building is designed to support a ‘stay put’ strategy, the staircases may not be wide enough to support a simultaneous evacuation of the entire building.
Alarm systems in these types of buildings are generally designed to open smoke ventilation systems – this helps to keep the common areas free of smoke for people escaping.
Each flat will have their own stand-alone detection and alarm, which should alert the occupants of the affected flat in the event of fire occurring within that flat. This alarm will not normally be linked to any other area of the block.
There are other areas such as undercover car parks which may have detection and alarm system, but again will not normally be linked to any other part of the block. Any detectors within the common corridors or staircases are likely to be there to activate any ventilation system but may not be designed to sound a warning.
What levels of fire resistance should be in between flats?
A correctly designed and maintained flat should be separated from another with materials that will resist fires for a minimum of 60 minutes. This is called compartmentation and should allow sufficient time for the occupants of the affected flat to escape without other flats and escape routes becoming affected.
The front door of a residential flat is an important component of compartmentation within high rise buildings. It should be a fire door and self-closing to hold back any products of combustion. This should allow sufficient time for residents to pass by safely ready for the Fire and Rescue Service to extinguish the fire.
How do changes to a building over time affect firefighting and fire safety?
Fire Risk Assessments should identify issues like this, and sufficient measures put in place to mitigate any additional risk from the changes. Post Grenfell, all housing providers should continue to ensure that their building fire risk assessments are reviewed regularly, with appropriate actions taken as necessary.
Are external cladding systems safe?
There are numerous types of cladding systems available that provide rain screens and thermal insulation. If you are concerned about a system installed on your premises you are advised to discuss with your housing provider who should be able to advise on the cladding system that has been installed.
Following Grenfell, a national programme of safety checks was started on all high rise residential blocks.
If there a fire in my block of flats, how will you rescue me?
Buildings are designed so that rescues can take place internally. In normal circumstances, during a fire within a flat, communal corridors and staircases should remain smoke free, allowing firefighters to carry out rescues from within the building.
Following Grenfell, we reviewed our operational procedures for fires in high rise buildings and our initial attendance to this type of incident. As a result, we now send (as a minimum) six fire engines and an aerial ladder platform (ALP) to all confirmed fires in high rise buildings.
Across the Service, we have four ALPs, three of which can extend to 32 metres and one which extends to 42 metres (depending upon circumstances).
Has DWFRS got the resources to deal with an incident similar to what happened at Grenfell?
We have effectively responded to major fires in the past. We also have mutual aid agreements in place with neighbouring services who can provide us with additional resources if required. We have reviewed our operational procedures, and both officers and crews have received additional training.
If you have any concerns about the safety of your building, you can email [email protected] or ring 01722 691717.
You can also find more information via our high rise living safety leaflet.
You should also check your local authority or housing provider’s website.