Following the tragic event which took place overnight in London BAFSA wishes to send its condolences to all those affected by the Grenfell Tower tragedy and thank our colleagues from the Fire Service for their prompt response.
Earlier this morning BAFSA agreed with our colleagues in the National Fire Sprinkler Network, the European Fire Sprinkler Network and the Business Sprinkler Alliance that we would issue one agreed statement under the banner of the Fire Sector Federation…
“The Fire Sector Federation (FSF) wishes to send its condolences to all those affected by the Grenfell Tower tragedy. We also wish to praise the fire service for its prompt and professional response.
Although a fire on such a scale is unprecedented in the UK, there have been a number of similar incidents both here and around the world. The FSF has long expressed major concerns about the apparent disjoint in the processes which aim to ensure fire safety within the built environment, as well as concerns about the combustibility of certain modern building materials.
While we must wait for a full investigation into the cause of the fire and the reasons for such rapid fire spread in this tragic incident, the Fire Sector Federation will be continuing to campaign for improvements in fire safety legislation and in ensuring the safety of the public and our built environment.
Paul Fuller CBE, Chair of the Fire Sector Federation says:
“Today’s tragedy will be felt throughout the fire sector, where all our efforts are focussed on ensuring the safety of our communities and of ensuring that our buildings are adequately protected.
“We wish to express our heartfelt condolences to all those affected by this terrible event and pay tribute to the fire service which once again has shown its bravery and professionalism in its response to this incident.
“There is no doubt that there will be questions to answer and the Fire Sector Federation will continue to investigate and campaign for improvements in fire protection and fire safety legislation.”
Grenfell Tower was built in 1974 without sprinklers. Regulatory guidance in England has only required srpinklers in high-rise residential buildings since 2007. Although this 27-storey tower was refurbished at a cost of £10 million in 2014/2015, there was no requirement to fit sprinklers at the same time. The added cost to do so would have been about £200,000.
BAFSA Chief Executive, Keith MacGillivray MBE added “The families and friends of the Grenfell Tower community are in the thoughts of BAFSA and its members.”