Enforcement is not only about the buildings of today but includes redress for failings in the past – as professionals we must get it right first time!
A local council may be facing millions in fire safety remedial costs for relatively new apartment blocks, as Ron Alalouff reports.
Mansfield District Council could be facing up to a reported £20m in costs to fix serious fire safety construction failings at three apartment blocks it owns in London, which were built as recently as 2017. The building was bought by the Council as an investment in 2017.
A notification of deficiencies issued by London Fire Brigade in September 2021 states that there are numerous contraventions of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, including:
- The absence of 60 minutes’ fire resistance in protected escape routes in corridors, lobbies and stairs
- Deficiencies in the fire resistance of protected routes and flat entrance doors
- Fire exits in the basement car park which need a key fob to operate.
In its notification, London Fire Brigade also strongly urged the consideration of combustible façade cladding materials as part of the risk assessment process, with all relevant information about any replacement window and façade schemes made fully available to the fire risk assessor.
Warrington care home fined £60,000 for ‘serious breaches’ of fire safety regulations
Ashberry Healthcare, which previously owned and ran the Heathercroft Care Home in Warrington, has been fined more than £60,000 following what the Judge said to be “unforgivable” fire safety failures.
Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service brought the charges after firefighters were called to the home in May 2018 by carers, after a 90-year-old resident accidentally set fire to himself while smoking while in an outdoor smoking shelter. He later died on the way to the hospital as a result of a heart attack.
Inspecting officers found that an individual risk assessment to enable the resident to smoke safely had “gone missing”, while the audit also found defects in the building’s compartmentation, potentially allowing smoke and flames to spread in the event of a fire.
While the Judge acknowledged the decision to allow the resident to smoke unsupervised did not cause his death directly, he said it was “unforgivable” that deficiencies in the safety processes led to it taking almost four minutes for anyone to respond to the shelter’s call button.
A post mortem examination found Mr Robinson died of a heart attack. It should not be implied that the fire caused his death or that Ashberry Care Ltd. has been prosecuted for causing his injuries or death.
The owner of The Bank Hotel in Barking has been ordered to pay £50,000 after they continued to take guests despite being issued with a prohibition notice for ‘serious fire safety failings’ by London Fire Brigade (LFB) inspectors in 2018.
LFB investigators found significant issues when visiting The Bank Hotel in May 2018. Deficiencies included a lack of fire doors, no smoke detectors and no fire alarm system. Additional concerns were raised as the first floor of the building was in an “obvious state of refurbishment and cigarette butts were found” on floors and windowsills.
Two months later, inspectors found the prohibition notice had been removed and guests had continued to be allowed to stay, with no obvious measures having been taken to remedy the fire safety issues. Sufficient measures were finally put in place by September 2018, after a final visit from inspectors.