New figures from the London Fire Brigade show that the number of blocks of flats in the capital with serious fire safety defects is still going up. Almost nine and a half years after Grenfell, that should concern every building owner, managing agent and landlord in London.
I've spent 27 years in the Fire Service and around 20 years carrying out fire risk assessments. In this article I'll explain what the latest figures mean, why it isn't only about cladding, and the practical steps responsible persons should be taking now.
What the London Fire Brigade found
According to the LFB, 1,448 buildings in London now have simultaneous evacuation guidance in place. In other words, residents are told to leave straight away if there's a fire, rather than stay put in their flat. That number has risen since the Brigade's previous count.
Of those buildings, 883 are over 7.9 metres (26ft) tall and 565 are under that height. So this isn't only a high-rise problem. Smaller, lower blocks are on the list too.
The government has admitted that remediation has moved too slowly for too long, and is pointing to its Remediation Acceleration Plan, which aims to fix unsafe buildings by 2029. Meanwhile, Grenfell United has warned that Londoners are still going to sleep in buildings that aren't safe.
Why "stay put" matters
Most purpose-built blocks of flats are designed for a stay put strategy. The idea is simple: each flat is its own fire-resisting compartment. If there's a fire in one flat, the walls, floors and fire doors should hold it back for at least 60 minutes. That way, people elsewhere in the building can usually stay safely where they are while the fire service deals with it.
Stay put only works if the building has been built and maintained properly. When compartmentation fails, because of combustible cladding, missing fire stopping, poor-quality fire doors or holes punched through walls for cables and pipes, fire and smoke can spread far faster than the building was designed for. At that point staying put is no longer safe, and a simultaneous evacuation strategy is needed. That usually means a common fire alarm system, and sometimes a waking watch, until the problems are fixed.
It's not just cladding
Cladding has rightly had most of the attention since Grenfell. But in my experience, many of the defects I find in blocks of flats have nothing to do with the outside of the building. Since 2017, the LFB has been looking at fire doors, windows and compartmentation, as well as cladding.
The most common problems I come across are:
- Flat entrance doors that aren't fire doors, have been replaced by residents with ordinary doors, or have missing or broken self-closers.
- Communal fire doors that are propped open, damaged, or have gaps that are too big around the edges.
- Missing or poor fire stopping where cables, pipes and ducts pass through walls and floors, particularly in risers and ceiling voids.
- Storage in escape routes, such as bikes, prams and rubbish, which blocks the way out and adds fuel to a fire.
- Faulty or poorly maintained emergency lighting, smoke ventilation and dry risers.
- Lithium-ion batteries from e-bikes and e-scooters being charged in flats and communal areas.
None of these are as visible as cladding, but any of them can turn a small fire into a major incident.
What the law expects from responsible persons
If you own, manage or are responsible for a block of flats, the law is clear that fire safety is your duty.
- The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires the responsible person to have a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment, and to act on what it finds.
- The Fire Safety Act 2021 made it clear that the Order covers the structure, the external walls (including cladding and balconies) and flat entrance doors in multi-occupied residential buildings.
- The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 added specific duties. These include giving residents fire safety information, checking communal fire doors and flat entrance doors, and, in taller buildings, providing building plans to the fire service and checking firefighting lifts and equipment.
- The Building Safety Act 2022 requires the full fire risk assessment to be recorded, and requires anyone carrying out a fire risk assessment to be competent.
The Brigade expects responsible persons to act. Where it finds serious defects, it can and does take enforcement action.
Practical steps to take now
If you're responsible for a block of flats in London, here's where I'd start:
- Check your fire risk assessment is current. If it's more than a year old, or the building, its use or its residents have changed, it needs reviewing.
- Make sure the assessor is competent. Use someone who is third-party certificated or on a recognised register, such as NSI, IFSM or NFRAR.
- Get the fire doors inspected. Communal and flat entrance doors are some of the most important safety features in any block.
- Look above the ceilings and in the risers. Fire stopping is often hidden, so it's often missed. An intrusive survey may be needed.
- Know your external wall position. If you haven't had an external wall assessment, find out whether you need one.
- Keep escape routes clear. Set clear rules for communal areas and enforce them.
- Talk to your residents. Make sure they understand the evacuation strategy, especially if it has changed from stay put.
- Act on the findings. An assessment sitting in a drawer protects no one. Prioritise the actions and keep a record of what's been done.
How Whale Fire can help
At Whale Fire, we carry out fire risk assessments for blocks of flats, HMOs and commercial buildings across London. I'm NSI accredited, an Associate Member of the Institute of Fire Safety Managers and listed on the National Fire Risk Assessor Register. My approach is common-sense and practical. I'll tell you what really matters, in plain English, and help you prioritise the actions so you can put them right.
If you're not sure whether your building would stand up to scrutiny, now is the time to find out, not after an incident or an enforcement visit.
Get in touch with Whale Fire today to book your fire risk assessment. Extinguish the Risk.
Richard Whale is a Watch Commander with 27 years in the UK Fire Service and the founder of Whale Fire Ltd.
Sources (for your reference, not for publishing):
- BBC News: London Fire Brigade: More flats found to have fire safety defects (via NewsSniffer)
- Fire Industry Association: Brigade raises alarm over ongoing safety issues in flats
