Fire service ‘could cope with large flats blaze’

FIRE bosses have assured Assembly members they would have the resources to cope with large fire in Wales in the wake of Grenfell.

Officers from Wales’ three forces have given evidence to the equality, local government and communities committee in the wake of the tragedy.

Stuart Millington, senior fire safety manager from North Wales Fire and Rescue Service, Steve Rossiter from South Wales Fire and Rescue Service and Iwan Cray, area manager for Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service were among those who gave evidence to the committee. Others include housing bosses and council officers.

They were asked if the equipment available to crews in Wales allowed them to reach the top floors of buildings.

Mr Rossiter told the committee that as buildings are designed with firefighting in mind, they predominately base their approach to tackling any fire on being able to get inside the building and set up a station below the fire.

Plaid Cymru’s Bethan Jenkins asked if the officers believed that in the wake of cuts and changes to the fire service in Wales, they would be able to deal with a large fire here.

Mr Millington said: “I can most certainly give that reassurance. We would have a predetermined attendance for any initial incident and we have sufficient resources in high-rise buildings to meet that”.

Mr Cray said that the budget of Mid and West Fire Service had been cut by 20% since 2005.

“We have managed to do that without affecting frontline response,” he said. “Changing shifts and stuff on station has not affected the way out appliances turn out time wise. That reassurance is there for the public and yourselves that the fire service would respond as we have always”.

Mr Rossiter added: “The resources are there”.

The committee was told fire services have responsibility for communal areas of properties.

Mr Cray said they can only “take enforcement so far” and that while they are now confident communal areas in Welsh high rise blocks are safe, “beyond the front door” lies with local authorities.

He said there have been issues with people changing their front door to something more “aesthetically pleasing” from the standard issue fire doors without realising the risks that can create.

He said any alterations between floors could affect the safety of flats and “the standard of workmanship” goes back to the local authorities.

They said the designs take into account stopping heat and smoke through rooms by sub-dividing buildings into a number of compartments.

They said that when flats are built, and before residents move in, they are compliant with regulations.

Mr Millington said: “Then, they are safe buildings. Then you introduce people and the things they bring with them and as the building gets older and the changes that are made internally with those units and within them those units can compromise the compartmentalisation between flats. In addition to that, in a bid to introduce new technology to make buildings safer, for example installing sprinklers systems in a retrofit way can actually compromise compartmentalised by drilling through walls and putting pipes through those holes. They need to be fitted by professional installers.”

Ms Jenkins also asked if the current fire safety legislation, brought in in 2005, was strong enough for fire officers to act on landlords breaching the rules.

Mr Millington that since the 2005 regulations, they rely on a responsible person putting a risk assessment in place.

“The limitation is that for the person or the person considered to be a responsible person – there’s no specific qualification or accreditation or level of knowledge.”

He said that there occasions when private individuals offer their services as a fire safety assessor and are hired to provide a risk assessment but when the fire service check it, they have concerns.

Mr Rossiter said: “It certainly provides us with the enforcement powers. It’s been in for 11 years and it’s fair to say there’s still a number responsible persons out there that are not clear on their responsibilities. Very often when we enforce it’s that their risk assessment and their responsibility to carry out a risk assessment is still a bit short”.