We recently read a rather eye-opening article written by Fire Safety Officer at the West Midlands Fire Service, Nick Hunt, which was published in RICS’s Building Control Journal. In it, Nick compares differences in fire sprinkler legislation across England, Wales and Scotland, and highlights a perceived decline in fire safety awareness since 2010. A link to view and download a PDF version of the article can be found below:

RICS BCJ June.July – Sprinkler article Nick Hunt p. 22

The most puzzling aspect of this decline is the fact that until 2010, fire sprinkler awareness had been experiencing a rapid rise. As Nick points out, between 2007 and 2010, approximately 70% of schools and academic buildings in England had fire sprinkler systems installed, but by the time that the article was written (2016) that number had “plummeted” to 35%. Perhaps the most concerning piece of information that Nick points to in this regard, however, is the finding from a Freedom of Information request that Scottish ministers had allowed several new schools to be built without sprinkler systems, despite Scottish fire safety legislation requiring them. When you dig a little deeper, however, it appears that the number of schools ministers allowed to go under the radar actually amounted to nearly 50, as revealed in an article reported in The Scotsman Newspaper.

The article is accompanied by a photographic comparison of one bedsit with a sprinkler system installed, and the burned-out husk of one without. These images are all the more concerning when considered in conjunction with the recent decline in the number of systems being installed in schools around the UK. As Nick says in the opening paragraph of his article, “Sprinklers have saved and do save businesses, properties and most importantly lives from the destructive effects of fire,” so we feel we need to do our part to make people aware of how effective sprinkler systems are, in order to halt the decline in their uptake.

Nick’s article isn’t all doom and gloom, however, as it appears that Wales is bucking the trend when it comes to fire sprinkler legislation and guidance in the UK. As of 2015, several types of building have been required to install fire sprinkler systems, including:

• Care homes
• Children’s residential homes
• Boarding houses
• Halls of residence
• Some hostels
• New and converted houses and flats
• New school buildings and significant refurbishment projects

AES National has a team of fire safety who would love to tell you more about the benefits of fire sprinkler systems. To make sure your property and your loved ones are protected, get in touch today and arrange a free consultation or demonstration at our head office in Ipswich, Suffolk: 01473 320 350 | info@aesnational.co.uk