Fire and rescue services (FRSs) in England have yet to receive a large number of high-rise building and external wall plans despite changes to fire safety regulations, new research shows.
Research conducted by signage company FASTSIGNS UK, which collected data for FRSs in England, has revealed that on average, only 31% of responsible persons have submitted high-rise building plans to their local FRS, and only 21% have submitted external wall plans.
New legislative requirements for FRSs to receive information about “building plans, external wall systems, lifts and other key firefighting equipment, information boxes, and wayfinding signage” came into force in January 2023, as part of the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022.
At the time, it was widely agreed that this vital information would “assist [FRSs] to plan and, if needed, provide an effective operational response” in the event of a fire.
However, as reported by Fire Safety Matters (FSM), the data obtained by the signage specialist for the period between January and October 2023 suggests that many FRSs are still awaiting key information about high-rise buildings in their jurisdiction.
As part of the study methodology, 18 FRSs in England were contacted via a Freedom of Information request to “determine how many high-rise buildings are served by each Fire and Rescue Service”. This allowed them to “calculate the percentage of responses against the number of high-rise buildings”.
Notably, the results show that 100% of high-rise building plans have been submitted to the Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service but zero external wall plans, while Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service has received 88% of both building and external wall plans. Conversely, Surrey Fire and Rescue Service have received zero building plans and only 10% of external wall plans.
As reported by the Daily Echo, in Hampshire, 273 buildings fall under the criteria for key building information to be submitted to the local FRS, but only 13% of building plans have been received and no external wall plans at all.
A spokesperson for Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service told the newspaper: "While the legal requirement sits with the Responsible Person, as a fire service we have sought to help them to understand the legislation and their responsibilities by providing all the information they need in one place and regularly liaising with them to offer support.
"Special forms were also created for RPs to easily submit any plans online via our website. The safety of residents and our firefighters is our main priority.
"We collect information on buildings and sites in our service area in a variety of ways to help us identify potential risks, and where necessary adjust our response plans to best meet these.
“Our Fire Safety Inspectors inspect the highest risk residential buildings across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and high-rise residential buildings fall under this remit/category."
The FRS is also urging residents to step forward if they are “concerned about any aspect of fire safety with their building, including questions about the type of cladding, issues with blocked exits or cluttered corridors”.
“It is also important that residents understand what to do in the event of a fire, whether it’s in their flat or somewhere else in the building,” the service added.
(Photograph by Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service)