‘We will continue to campaign for sprinklers in ALL high-rise towers’
LOCAL FIRE CHIEFS REACT IN AFTERMATH OF BLAZE HORROR
FIRE chiefs have called for sprinkler systems to be fitted to ALL tower blocks in Coventry and Warwickshire.
The move – which would affect hundreds of blocks across the region and the wider West Midlands - comes in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy.
West Midlands chief fire officer Phil Loache met seven local authorities on Thursday to review fire safety in medium and high-rise blocks.
They discussed the “robust arrangements” already in place to deal with fires, and agreed to lobby for sprinklers in all domestic and commercial buildings.
Warwickshire Fire and Rescue chief fire officer Andy Hickmott told the Telegraph he endorses the move.
At least 30 people died after a devastating fire ripped through the 24-storey block in west London in the early hours of Wednesday. Investigators are looking at the possibility that the newly-installed exterior cladding on the tower may have helped spread the flames.
Mr Loache said the fire service had since received calls from worried members of the public living in tower blocks in Coventry and beyond.
Questions have been asked about safety standards after it emerged that some residents had been raising concerns for a number of years. There are around 400 buildings classed as medium to high-rise – of six floors or above – in the West Midlands.
Two of Coventry’s 24 tower blocks – Mercia House in Coventry city centre and Alpha House in Barras Green – have full exterior cladding, with six partially cladded: Meadow House in Upper Spon Street, Faulkener House in Stoney Stanton Road, Longfield House in Bell Green, Nauls Mill House in Middleborough Road, Samuel Vale House in St Nicholas Street and William Batchelor House in Leicester Row.
But WM Housing say the cladding used on Coventry’s high-rise homes is different to the one used on Grenfell Tower in London. And they say two of their blocks already have sprinkler systems.
There are also several blocks of six storeys or above in Warwickshire, including the Fed Ex offices in Bond Gate in Nuneaton, the Warwickshire County Council offices in Bedworth town centre, Eden Court and Radcliffe Gardens in Leamington and Rounds Gardens and Biart Place in Rugby.
“We have no significant known issues with tower blocks in the West Midlands area,” Mr Loache said.
“We have robust arrangements in place, but obviously those arrangements were discussed. We certainly promote, both in planning and retrofitting, the use of sprinkler systems in both commercial and domestic buildings.
“The West Midlands Fire Authority has made clear its position on this issue.
“Through lobbying we have promoted, and we continue to champion it being brought into regulatory arrangements.
“We continue to feel that an effective protection mechanism is sprinklers and we will continue to lobby for them.”
Despite Government spending cuts, Mr Loache remains confident his firefighters could respond to such a major incident in this area.
He said that fire crews were well drilled in dealing with tower block conditions with the use of a £650,000 training facility at Oldbury fire station – a purpose-built six-storey tower block made out of 18 steel shipping containers. It is the only one of its kind in the world. “A fire in a high-rise build- ing is still the most hostile environment a firefighter can find themselves in,” he said.
“That is why we introduced the training facility at Oldbury to ensure our firefighters are prepared. It can simulate conditions at various heights and our firefighters have the opportunity, and indeed the requirement, to train for these types of incidents.
“We won’t have instant lessons learned here but as information emerges from the Grenfell Tower incident we will adapt as needed.”
We certainly promote, both in planning and retrofitting, the use of sprinkler systems in both commercial and domestic buildings.