PRESS RELEASE

65% of residential tower blocks failing on fire safety

The latest Hackitt Review Update Seminar held by the Fire Protection Association (FPA) highlighted some worrying statistics.

According to keynote speaker Nick Coombe of the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), 65% of 500 recently assessed residential tower blocks failed a fire safety inspection.

Many of the buildings inspected housed systems that did not operate in the manner intended, had not been regularly maintained or featured systems that hadn’t been properly installed. In addition, a number of building operators had limited to no understanding of how their smoke control systems worked.

These alarming figures further outline the importance of the SCA installer certification scheme which focuses training on products, systems, service and maintenance.

David Mowatt, Chairman of the SCA, comments: “It is particularly concerning to hear that smoke ventilation systems are not being regularly serviced – a legal obligation and something that should take place every 12 months as a minimum requirement.

“This is why the SCA is committed to raising the bar across our industry and ensuring that all SCA members fully comply with current guidelines, regulations and standards.

“We hope that developers and contractors selecting a SCA member company will have full confidence that they are competent in the design and installation of a smoke ventilation system.”