Fire safety concerns as roles are cut by a quarter
Political Correspondent THE number of fire safety inspectors has been cut by a quarter in three years leading to concerns about the ability to enforce standards.
Fire service union leaders are warning MSPs investigating highrise safety in the wake of the Grenfell disaster that more expert posts need to be created.
The Fire Brigades Union Scotland said the number of uniformed fire safety inspecting officers has been cut from 89 to 68 since 2013/14.
In a written submission to the Scottish Parliament, Local Government Committee, the FBU said: “FBU members who are fire safety inspecting officers tell us that today they often do not have time to take the action that they would like to take when they find breaches of the legislation because they know there are more serious breaches down the line that will demand their precious time.”
The union said that one way of improving fire risk assessment would be to create more inspecting posts within the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
It added the posts should be filled by promoting firefighters “who have knowledge and experience gained from witnessing real fires”.
The committee is looking at the safety of Scotland’s high-rise tower blocks following the Grenfell Tower blaze. The FBU said regulations south of the border mean materials of “limited combustibility” may be used whereas in Scotland the requirement is “non-combustible materials”.
The union said that the greater clarity provided by Scottish Building Standards means there is not the “confusion” that exists in England which is said means “the chances of a similar fire occurring in Scotland are indeed minimised”.
The union has been calling for the Scottish standards to be adopted in England. The FBU also warned that there are gaps in the safety procedures between council building inspectors and fire service checks.
It said that during construction safety responsibility falls to building control in the local council. Once the building is occupied it is taken on by the fire service however there is no exact time when responsibility is transferred because some buildings are partly occupied before construction is complete or occupancy is delayed after completion.
The FBU warned faults in design can “fall between two stools” not picked up by building control but the fire service assume everything is sound when they do take over responsibility.
It calls for a system where a building cannot be occupied until all authorities, council and fire service have carried out a thorough inspection of the premises to ensure all standards have been met.
Bob Doris, convenor of the Local Government Committee, said: “Whilst the public inquiry into the tragedy at Grenfell Tower is ongoing, in Scotland those who live, work or study in high-rises are understandably seeking reassurances about the safety of those buildings.
“We welcome that reassurances have been forthcoming, however it is important that our committee provides an additional layer of scrutiny to this evidence. That’s why we’ll be speaking to local authorities, landlords, tenants and the Scottish Government as part of our ongoing i nquiry i nto building regulations and fire safety.”
The Grenfell Tower fire has so far claimed at least 80 lives. A definitive death toll is not expected until at least next year.