The London Fire Brigade has called for the UK Government to ensure that newly-built and refurbished schools are protected with fire sprinkler systems.
London Fire Commissioner, Dany Cotton, has accused the government of “playing with children’s lives” with regard to previous and current fire safety policy. The commissioner has also previously challenged the Government’s uncertainties on fire sprinkler costs, stating that "if they are incorporated from the design stage, sprinklers are around 1% of the total build cost.”
Safety-first viewpoint
During 2016, the Department of Education’s (DfE) Design in Fire Safety in Schools claimed that, “Building Regulations do not require the installation of fire sprinkler suppression systems in school buildings for life safety.”
“Therefore,” it added, “[guidelines] no longer include an expectation that most new school buildings will be fitted with them.”
With focus now moving from a cost-saving to a safety-first viewpoint, ministers have since overturned these statements within the document. Whilst plenty should be done to show that retrofitting and installing fire protection systems in new and current schools needn’t be time-consuming, difficult, or expensive, the main priority will be the protection of our children's lives and education.
The statistics
According to research by the Chief Fire Officers Association, there were 5,132 fires in educational buildings between 2003/04 and 2013/14, resulting in 148 casualties. In addition, the London Fire Brigade is called upon to protect schools around 80 times per year. Despite these numbers, and the fact that a decade ago the Government made it clear sprinklers should be expected in all new school buildings, only an estimated 30% of new schools have since had them included.
According to Local Government Association figures, there are over 1,500 fires in schools per year across the UK. Although government statistics show that the number of school fires has decreased in recent years, not installing risk mitigation measures in new schools may only cause these figures to increase in the future.
The case for sprinklers
With schools across the UK looking to save money and The National Audit Office claiming that there could be an 8% reduction in spending per pupil by 2020, the uncertainty of fire sprinkler costs are not unfounded.
Contrary to popular belief, however, LGA reports that an average cost for a primary school of 120-150 pupils is considered to be between 1-2% of the total cost of construction, costing just over £100,000 in total (approximately £65,000 for sprinklers, plus £40,000 for additional project costs). Not a big outlay, for something so paramount to the safety of school children.
Laura Hughes, Property Policy Adviser at the Association of British Insurers, (ABI), said: "The case for sprinklers is clear. The cost of installing a sprinkler system can be recouped in less than ten years thanks to the savings which will be made insuring the school. It’s a win-win situation for schools and all children should be benefitting from this additional safety measure."
What is the solution?
It is clear that educational establishments and their buildings need urgent protection if they haven’t got a fire sprinkler system already. While installation in new buildings is easier, retrofit installations can help to quickly provide a safer environment for existing buildings.
For example, when a large school in Hampshire decided to rebuild and expand, fire safety officials wanted to ensure the strongest possible fire protection. One of many common myths surrounding retrofit fire sprinkler projects is that it is expensive, but using BlazeMaster® CPVC piping allowed installers to stay on budget and complete work while school was in session.
Speaking on the installation at the school in Hampshire, Colin Taylor, Head of the Oxfordshire office for Domestic Sprinklers, said: “We believe it’s the easiest medium to work with and it allows a flexibility to the design. The amount of changes that were forced upon us during the installation would have resulted in very high additional costs if BlazeMaster Piping Systems hadn’t been used.”
Educating the UK and European market
Our aim is to help educate the UK and European market about how BlazeMaster CPVC fire sprinklers can stall and stave off the threat of a fire, before it becomes deadly. That starts with educating specifiers and installers with the facts about fire sprinkler systems, ensuring you are confident in choosing the right fire protection system for your next project.
Therefore, we have pulled together a free case study pack to show how CPVC fire sprinkler systems can be used on your next project, as an alternative solution to steel. Remember, not all orange piping delivers the same reliable protection as BlazeMaster CPVC fire sprinkler systems; in fact, when it comes to protecting educational establishments, there is only one CPVC fire sprinkler system that you can truly rely on.
