Extremely good news regarding the safety of thousands of tower block residents nationwide. On Sept 5th the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government issued several proposals revolving around fire safety and fire sprinkler protection systems.
These include:
- Lowering the building height for sprinkler requirements in new buildings from the existing 30 metres (approximately 10 floors) and above to 18 metres (approximately six floors) or “other relevant thresholds.”
- The immediate establishment of a new Protection Board with the Home Office and National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) designed to “provide further reassurance to residents of high-risk residential blocks that any risks are identified and acted upon.” Up to £10 million is available to the Board to provide tailored building checks and inspections, if necessary, on all high-risk residential buildings in England by 2021.
- Up to £200 million will be made available to tower block owners to remove unsafe cladding.
The complete announcement is available here.
The Time to Plan Is Now
The lowered building height requirement regarding sprinklers for new buildings stated in the announcement is still in the proposal stage. It must be acted upon, yet it is proof that the Government is paying increased attention to the safety issues of tower block residents.
It is a well-known fact that fire sprinklers save live and properties. Anyone planning or designing a tower block that does not include a fire protection system is only hampering their ability to sell or rent flats – yet I’m sure that there are some that have resisted including such a system because they are not required by law.
Smart owners very much need to get ahead of the game and include fire sprinkler systems, even if not currently required to do so. If nothing else, it is a marketing tool for their sales and rental efforts, and may be used in publicity efforts surrounding the project. At best, it is an indication that they really have thought of everything when it comes to the well-being of future residents.
In addition to protecting the lives of residents and firefighters, owners are also protecting themselves. Estimates indicate that property damage costs resulting from a fire are reduced by approximately 75 percent when fire sprinkler systems are present. Part of the reason is that fire sprinklers respond immediately and are triggered only at the source of the fire (the rumour that the home’s entire bank of sprinklers go off simultaneously is false). A small amount of water extinguishing a fire within a short amount of time is certainly preferable to the litres of water that will be used by the fire brigade once it has arrived and the fire has likely spread.
Yes, there is an expense to designing and installing a fire protection system. That’s where selecting the right type of sprinkler system comes into play.
Selecting the Right Type of Fire Protection System
There are several materials from which to choose when planning and installing a fire sprinkler system. We believe that when all are compared, CPVC is the best choice for high-rise buildings and retrofits in terms of reliability, ease of installation, minimal inconvenience to residents and overall project costs.
BlazeMaster® CPVC was the first such material introduced to the market, more than 30 years ago. It leads the industry with pressure-rated compounds, state-of-the-art processing, rigorous product testing and successful manufacturing partnerships.
It is also backed by the FBC™ System Compatible Program, a chemical compatibility system program unique to BlazeMaster CPVC and second to none in the industry. It helps specifiers, designers and contractors quickly identify which ancillary products have chemical compatibility with BlazeMaster Fire Protection Systems – and which do not. That helps to ensure that the sprinkler system, once installed, continues to work as designed. The program is respected and referred to daily by contractors, builders, specifiers, building owners, authorities having jurisdiction and fire officials.
If you are interested in learning more about CPVC fire sprinkler systems and how they can be installed within budget and schedule in new tower block construction, we are here to answer questions.
Click below to learn more about how BlazeMaster CPVC was installed in Chapel Wharf, a recently completed Manchester tower block project.
