Better fire safety

SIR – In Camden, fire precautions in high-rise buildings have been so neglected as to cause some to be considered unsafe for occupation.

This was due to successive administrations, over the past 25 years or so, tampering with a perfectly good system in an effort to deregulate, reduce burdens on business, reduce costs to fire authorities and to implement inferior EU directives on fire safety brought into UK law.

As a former assistant chief fire officer of the Greater Manchester Fire Service, it seems to me that the most significant change was to take the responsibility for certifying the fire safety of high-risk buildings from the Fire Service, which had trained and experienced officers, and to place this responsibility on the employer or responsible person, who had neither of these qualities. To their credit many rose to the task and maintained good standards of fire safety.

Brexit brings the opportunity to disengage from EU directives on fire safety and to develop a tailor-made solution for this country.

Means of escape in case of fire and related provisions should be the responsibility of the Fire Service. Inspection of high-risk occupancies should be a statutory duty for fire authorities. Robert A Graham

Bury, Lancashire