PROVIDING PROFESSIONAL ADVICE Learning from incidents Peter Holland CBE QFSM FIFireE Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser UK Government.

PROVIDING PROFESSIONAL ADVICE

Learning from incidents

Peter Holland CBE QFSM FIFireEChief Fire and Rescue Adviser UK Government

PROVIDING PROFESSIONAL ADVICE

TRAVEL!

Context

•Fast moving world

•Not keeping pace

•Modern methods of construction

PROVIDING PROFESSIONAL ADVICE

Martin Shipp’s wake up call

•Deaf ears?

PROVIDING PROFESSIONAL ADVICE

PROVIDING PROFESSIONAL ADVICE

Design, build, occupy

FIRE

Investigate, Analyse, Learn

Lessons

Review ops procedures, Testing regimes, Building Codes,

PROVIDING PROFESSIONAL ADVICE

Lessons - both high rise

• Southampton,Deaths of 2 Firefighters

• London, Deaths of 6 occupants

PROVIDING PROFESSIONAL ADVICE

PROVIDING PROFESSIONAL ADVICE

Southampton

• Firefighting techniques; Searching; Ventilation,

• Thermal Imagers

• Cables dropping

• Unusual design – Poor signage

• No sprinklers

PROVIDING PROFESSIONAL ADVICE

PROVIDING PROFESSIONAL ADVICE

Lakanal House,London

• Unusual fire spread – downwards !

• Failure of fire protection

• No fire alarm or sprinklers

• Lift Failure – 11th floor

• Poor fire safety information to occupiers

PROVIDING PROFESSIONAL ADVICE

Coroners Duty – Rule 43

• Letter to persons of influence to avoid a repeat

• Government

• Fire and Rescue Service

• Housing providers

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•BRE Fire reconstruction

•Child fire deaths

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•Significant major events from which services

learn

•But this should include the whole industry,

not in isolation.

•Role for IFE?

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IFE Sharing platform?

•Broad Church of members

•International Branch Network

•CPD

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Near Misses

•Missed opportunities

•Incident Recording System (UK)

•Structure, contents, people, behaviour

PROVIDING PROFESSIONAL ADVICE

Structure

•Sandwich panels

•Deaths of two fire-fighters

•We knew about LISPs

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Contents

•Foam-filled furniture

•Unusual fire spread

•USA

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People behaviour

•Did they get out safely

•Audit of fire safety strategy

PROVIDING PROFESSIONAL ADVICE

PROVIDING PROFESSIONAL ADVICE

New Methods of Construction

• Can building codes and test standards keep pace ?

• Sustainable – Not when it burns down !

• Lessons from Sandwich Panels – Superb construction

material – BUT !

• Need to keep up to speed ! – Huge challenge globally

PROVIDING PROFESSIONAL ADVICE

Review Codes & Standards

• If strong evidence provided building

codes and testing of materials will

improve accordingly

• Let us learn from each other !

PROVIDING PROFESSIONAL ADVICE

THANK YOU !

Peter Holland CBE QFSM FIFireE

Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser