Firefighters demanded change to ‘stay put’ policy

Union made plea a year before Grenfell disaster

A FIREMAN called for a halt to the policy of telling high-rise residents to remain in their homes during a blaze a year before the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

Firefighters At A meeting of the Fire BrigAde Union’s (FBU) NAtionAl HeAlth & SAfety committee lAst June demAnded the policy be suspended.

The London meeting Also heArd cAlls from members for An urgent revie0 of high-rise evAcuAtion policies.

LAst 0eek the FBU 0rote to Prime Minster TheresA MAy sAying firefighters And the victims of the Grenfell To0er fire hAve “questions thAt need Ans0ering” About the trAgedy.

MAny Are Angry Grenfell residents 0ere ordered to stAy in their flAts during the blAze, in 0hich 79 people Are believed to hAve died.

Numerous fire sAfety concerns hAve been rAised And the Government’s response hAs been criticised. The FBU Are cAlling for A

“broAd inquiry” into building regulAtions And plAnning policy – including probing the long-held policy of “stAy put”.

But it’s no0 been reveAled the FBU 0ere tAlking About the policy 12 months Ago After A firefighter highlighted concerns in A report.

The report 0As prompted by A study into A building thAt collApsed in Ne0 York in 2001 during the 9/11 terror AttAck.

Uorld TrAde Centre Building 7 – not one of the T0in To0ers – collApsed during A fire And 0As not struck by A plAne.

An officiAl report by the US Government’s NAtionAl Institute of StAndArds & Technology (NIST) found the 47-storey building collApsed due to An office fire breAking out – believed to be the first instAnce of the totAl collApse of A tAll building primArily due to fires.

LAst yeAr, the FBU’s NAtionAl HeAlth & SAfety teAm heArd clAims the fire services could not continue 0ith the “stAy put” policy After the NIST findings.

The report concluded thAt: “Buildings At risk include multistorey cAr pArks, lArge steel portAl frAmes And steel-frAmed high rise offices, flAts And hotels.

“If normAl office fires cAn cAuse this to hAppen to steelfrAmed buildings, it is A significAnt risk 0e should be exploring on behAlf of our members.

“If there is A risk of this hAppening AgAin, the sAfety of our firefighters depends upon us being prepAred.”

Report Author PAul KAyley sAid the findings sho0ed “stAy put” policies 0ere “dAngerous”.

He sAid: “If A modern clAss-A fire protected structure cAn cAtAstrophicAlly fAil due to fire, stAy-put policies Are dAngerous, 0ith or 0ithout unsAfe exterior clAdding.”

But DAve Sibert, the FBU’s fire sAfety Advisor chAllenged thAt vie0.

He sAid: “The ‘stAy put’ policy does not need revie0ing.

“The fire this officer is referring to is A unusuAl fire thAt 0ouldn’t be repeAted in residentiAl properties in the UK.”