Home fires burning

When it comes to ensuring adequate measures to protect tenants, fire safety doesn’t have to be a burning issue, providing the right approach is taken. Sometimes the simplest measures can help make a profound difference

Fire safety in the home is a paramount concern for anyone, but it becomes perhaps all the more critical in a residential block. That’s why awareness of the issues – prevention of fires, but also thinking ahead in terms of escape – are critical as are adequate procedures in the event of a blaze igniting at home.

Gentoo Sunderland found its procedures put to the test earlier this year when a fire broke out in one of its flats in the Hendon district of the city. The RSL’s fire safety procedures came through for everyone, demonstrating that with proper planning and forethought catastrophe can be averted, when the fire was dealt with quickly and injuries eliminated.

The drama started when a smoke alarm signal was received from one of the flats in the multi-storey block in the concierge room at Gentoo’s South Durham Court, Hendon. The staff quickly contacted the Tyne & Wear Fire Service and advised the tenant to contain the fire by closing the kitchen door and leave the flat.

Minutes later, the fire service arrived and connected hoses to the riser at the front of the building. Hoses were then led up to the 10th floor flat to put out the blaze. Concierge staff also attended the scene to assist, ensuring procedures were followed, and that neighbouring residents were kept calm.

Without clear procedures and competent handling of the situation, the fire could quickly have become a catastrophe, the organisation said, where many casualties could have occurred. “Incidents like this further highlight the necessity for clear and concise safety procedures which are communicated with customers and staff alike. Through their implementation, disruption can be minimised and lives saved,” said John Turner, Gentoo Sunderland’s deputy director of asset management.

The organisation’s experience also demonstrates the importance of working with the fire service, since it developed its procedures for high rise blocks in conjunction with – and was approved by – the Tyne & Wear service.

The incident came months after a devastating fire at the 12-storey Lakanal House in Camberwell, London, which claimed six lives and injured 15 residents and a fire fighter. Over 90 families had to be evacuated from the building in what is considered the U K’s worst tower block fire after the blaze spread through the building.

Lessons are still being learned from that disaster, but it has seared itself into the consciousness of the social housing sector as a tragic reminder of the terrible consequences of getting fire safety wrong.

Salford’s City West Housing Trust has recently stepped up its fire safety measures for its high rise blocks with measures intended not only to help residents but also assist fire fighters in the event of an emergency. This might sound very simple, but in the event of a fire every second counts, so any measure that allows emergency crews to pinpoint their whereabouts and determine routes is a potential life-saver.

Each of the organisation’s 12 blocks have been fitted with new signs that set out the block’s design to help fire fighters swiftly visualise the building’s layout so they can find their way around. Fitted to the external walls, they show the number of floors, the layout of homes within the blocks and where the hydrants are located. They also indicate the position of any fixed fire-fighting installations.

“The Trust recognised how valuable the information on these signs can be to fire fighters in an emergency. We are keen to maximise safety for our high rise tenants,” said Colette McKune, director of asset management.

Prevention is always better than cure, which is why measures such as smoke alarms, proper fire safety awareness and so forth, is vital. But when things do go wrong, then ensuring that everyone knows what they must do is essential to preventing a drama becoming a crisis. Working together with the Fire Service, tenants and partners so that everyone knows what to do means RSLs are much less likely to be playing with fire.

FIGURES ON FIRE
The most recent official figures from the D epartment of Communities & Local Government show that in 2007 there were:

• 52,700 dwelling fires in that year
• The majority of fires that started in dwellings – 43,300 or 82 per cent – were accidentally caused
• Fires in the home account for 14 per cent of the total for fires attended, which was 384,600 in 2007
• In 2007, there were 443 fire-related deaths in the UK. The majority of such deaths occurred in dwelling fires. The highest fatality rates were among people aged over 80 and for males
• Of the 331 deaths in the home recorded in 2007, 81 per cent of them – 267 – died in accidental fires. The main cause was from the “careless handling of fire or hot substances”, such as the careless disposal of cigarettes. Fires that started in the living or dining rooms showed the highest levels of fatalities
• The main causes of accidental fire in the home were the misuse of equipment and appliances, accounting for 15,100 fires, with cookers being the main source of ignition at 55 per cent of all accidental fires
• Smoke alarms were absent in the area of fire in 22,800 dwellings
• There were 419,500 false alarms attended by emergency services in 2007. The most common type of false alarm was due to apparatus
Source: CLG Fire Statistics, United Kingdom 2007