Fresh bid to cut risk of high-rise flats fire tragedy

New smoke alarms to be fitted after London horror

Families living in high- rise flats will have new smoke alarms and extended caretaker hours in a bid to avoid another Grenfell Tower tragedy.

Renfrewshire Council is fitting new alert systems and wants to put extra staff in blocks to improve safety.

The improvements were spurred after an inferno claimed the lives of at least 71 people in London last year.

Council bosses assured residents that cladding used on 14 buildings across the region are safe in a fresh report.

It stated: “A 24-hour concierge service is on-site at four blocks in Glenburn and Gallowhill and the remaining 10 blocks benefiting from a caretaking service during office hours on weekdays.

“The role of the concierge and caretakers includes a range of housekeeping duties and safety checks, as well as offering advice and assistance to tenants and residents.

“The concierge and caretaker service is valued highly by residents and plays an important role in ensuring a safe environment for residents and visitors, particularly in matters relating to fire safety.

“Concierge and caretaking staff duties include the daily inspections of landings, fire doors and bin chutes, as well as regular fire alarm tests, the safe removal of bulky items and so on.

“With this in mind, it is proposed to enhance the cover provided at the 10 high rise blocks which are currently staffed by a team of caretakers who are generally on duty Monday to Friday.

“Proposals are being developed to extend caretaking cover into the evenings and weekends at all 10 blocks, with a view to introducing this enhanced cover later this year.

“The four high rise blocks at Gallowhill and Glenburn will continue to have concierge staff on duty 24/7.”

Hundreds of families live in towers across Renfrewshire including 13 in Paisley and one in Johnstone.

Fire chiefs meet regularly with council bosses to ensure safety measures are in place at the buildings, with caretakers on-duty between 8am and 4pm.

An independent assessment ruled cladding used on the towers meets all building regulations.

Communal alarm systems have been fitted in five blocks, with 14 linked to a round-the-clock monitoring system.

Smoke detectors have been upgraded in three blocks, with efforts under way in two more.

A full roll-out will be completed by the end of the year.

All tenants have had 60-minute fire resistent doors fitted and this has been extended to all private homes which did not meet the safety rating.

Work to fit flame suppression equipment to all bin areas is also being carried out.

The report continued: “High- rise properties play an important role in the provision of housing and the council has committed significant amounts of investment in recent years to ensure they are maintained in a good condition and are sustainable and attractive to both current and future residents.

“Many residents in our high- rise properties are elderly.

“The council has responded to their particular needs by incorporating internal improvement works to meet amenity standards in five blocks, as well as investing in the provision of social spaces for residents’ use at two.

“Nine of the 14 high-rise blocks have been re-clad in the last five years, which has improved the energy efficiency of these blocks, as well as enhancing the aesthetic appearance.

“The five remaining blocks were reclad between 18 and 25 years ago.

“And as the cladding on these blocks is approaching the end of its lifecycle, preparations are underway to commence a programme of replacing this cladding with a modern energy efficient insulation system of the same nature as that used in the recently clad buildings.”

Engineers have also upgraded the heating systems at flats across the district, with foyer improvements also implemented at some buildings.

At least 80 people died with flames ripped through Grenfell Tower last June.

It took 250 officers 24 hours to extinguish the fire.

A public inquiry into the tragedy was launched in September and will consider if building materials used at the site were to blame for the rapid spread of the fire.