News

More pressure being put on councils to provide intrusive fire risk assessments on high rise tower blocks (type 4). This involves opening up parts of walls and looking into voids beyond the scope of a normal type 1 fire risk assessment. The argument against is that the intrusive surveys can cause damage that is never quite the same once made good and the argument for is that you potentially expose hidden fire spread areas not seen by the naked eye. I think everything needs to be taken into account, the type of building, whether there is cladding, what type of cladding, the history of the building, the findings of any past fires within the building. If in doubt, you should do a type 4 and we can provide these should you require one.

Great to see any consultation which is likely to lead to sprinklers being installed more in blocks of flats. Sprinklers are proven in limiting the development of a fire and these changes are welcomed

This is an interesting article and goes to show how important it is for all businesses and commercial premises to have a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment in place. It’s not just residential premises affected by fire and it’s often the case that many smaller premises with a perceived lower risk often feel they can ignore fire safety laws and not bother with a fire risk assessment or implementing a fire safety strategy for their building. But if a fire does start then it can cause such significant damage that they have to close down and it’s only then they wish they had put those procedures in place. One factor commercial premises need to watch out for is the threat of arson and making sure the external perimeter of their building is protected including overnight. Adding CCTV, high fencing, additional lighting are all possibilities but it’s better to consider these options before a fire rather than after......

Whale Fire offers an exclusive fire safety service for all residential properties and provides fire risk assessment packages for converted and purpose-built blocks of flats as well as HMOs and student accommodation. We have vast experience assessing residential properties and our assessments come with built in compartmentation surveys. Our fire risk assessments are professional and easy to follow for the client. We have a common sense based approach and work with our clients when making recommendations based on time, logistics and costs.

Good practice on how residents and landlords work together to keep their home and building safe: summary findings Following the call for evidence that concluded in February the government has published a summary which will be used to inform policy options in the consultation on Building a safe future: proposals for reform in the building safety regulatory system.

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If you look at this building from the front you would imagine there would be few problems inside. But it goes to show the value of incorporating compartmentation surveys into our fire risk assessments because you never know what’s hidden behind the walls and voids

Possibly new changes coming with regards to where sprinklers will be required. Changes happening in the fire safety industry thick and fast almost on a daily basis. Remember the most important part of any fire strategy is the management procedures in a building. Making sure you are aware of the evacuation procedures. Once you are out of a building you are safe. I understand some blocks of flats are stay put and the need for increased fire precautions are vital. But simple as that may sound I still believe all the money and legislation in the world doesn’t change getting the basics right, a good fire risk assessment, good procedures and ensuring people react calmly but quickly in a fire situation. It’s normally human behaviour that starts fires and it’s human behaviour that saves people.