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7 Oct, 7 tweets, 8 min read
Yesterday I called on @BorisJohnson, key ministers & stakeholders to launch a #publicinquiry into UK #Hospital #FireSafety.

As the second wave of #covid19 picks up critical mass must address the plethora of fire safety defects & concerns.

Press DM for comment
We do appear to have a fire safety problem in UK hospitals

@ukhomeoffice stats indicates an alarming number of fires in high rise hospitals & in the thread woefully inadequate PFI new build quality to legacy issues.
When @NFCC_FireChiefs @labcuk both advise member enforcement agencies to take a soft touch to fire safety in mega #nightinggale field hospitals & significant departures from Health technical memorandum (HTM) Firecode alarm bells are ringing.
following @businessinsider July report on hospital #firesafety we dug into the NHS HTM Firecode

We’re we found @DHSCgovuk HTM permitted combustible cladding systems on hospitals at any height - no height restrictions or mandates to test to @bs8414

+ guidance remains unmodified
Here’s the @businessinsider article highlighting post #grenfell #firesafety issues In July 2020, some 3yrs after I raised confers immediately following #grenfell as ex chair @Nahfo_UK & vice chair @TheEPSLdn london branches

So we dug deeper & the results were appalling
Here’s what we found

8 hospitals with combustible cladding system, inc 1 mistakenly designated as safe

Over 4700 fires in UK hospitals since 2013, 6 fatalities & 320 injured

24 active enforcement notices & 1 prohibition

Over 18 of the 50 new PFI hospitals plagued fire issues
Comming full circle, written to prime minister @BorisJohnson + key ministers & stakeholders + national press +key campaign groups

We’ve had the near misses
We have outdated defective guidance
We have poor fire safety & enforcement

Will anyone listen before a major hospital fire

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More from @SteveMcfirerisk

Stephen Mackenzie Profile picture
4 Aug
Oh my
Any ex weapons technicals online to analyse this #explosion in Beirut today

@PhilipIngMBE @ProSecurityMag @SecurityRollo @UKGoSIP @SIAuk @SyInstitute @ASIS_UK @IFPOUK

https://t.co/JxZaLiCzR4
Appears Beirut explosion is validated by various sources now as originating in the port area.

sandiegouniontribune.com/news/nation-wo…
Read 45 tweets
Stephen Mackenzie Profile picture
1 Aug
21 day deadline count down for @ProSecurityMag #TPSO #firespecial submission deadline

Get your article in to @SecurityRollo or myself as guest editor by 21st August for the bumper September #Firespecial

#security #fire #firerisk #firesafety #majorincident #disasterresponse Image
Day 1/21 @ProSecurityMag #TPSO September 2020 #firespecial

Submission deadline - 21st August

Day 1 #Arson

The #security professionals role in arson assessment, prevention, control & response

DM your views, articles & comments @SecurityRollo or myself ImageImageImageImage
Day 2/21 @ProSecurityMag #TPSO September 2020 #firespecial

Submission deadline - 21st August

Day 2 #FirePrevention

The #security professionals role in fire prevention - tactics beyond security patrols.

DM your views, articles & comments @SecurityRollo or myself ImageImageImageImage
Read 29 tweets
Stephen Mackenzie Profile picture
22 Jul
@sloumarsh @denis_campbell @guardian @Robert_Booth

Following @KingsCritCare closure due to fire safety concerns

wider UK Healthcare fire cases THREAD
+
failures by @NHSuk @DHSCgovuk to assure safety following five london hospital fires & post #grenfell

theguardian.com/society/2020/j…
Major life loss events to fire in health care premisses are rare but not unknown.

However during 2008/2009 the sector was rocked by the five London hospital fires + one more during this pan-london post incidence report

preventionweb.net/files/13954_re…
In 2010 health sector was hit with austerity cuts from which NHS has never truly recovered

Estates & safety budgets were decimated.

Compounding issues faced by under resourced fire safety managers.

However, what happend in new Hospitals accross the country was criminal
Read 35 tweets
Stephen Mackenzie Profile picture
18 Jul
Quick scan of #buildingsafetybill announcement

Stand by my earlier statement to @itvlondon on #Hackitt review

“It’s a bastardised wish list which may prove cost prohibative to implement”

Will be interesting to see the detail on Monday but THREAD with headline comments.
Many in the sector have known about the fire safety & building standards issues & have raised formally via professional bodies, academic & practice based outputs + petitions to @GOVUK or regional

Fig 1 major fire loss incidents

So why’s it taken @govuk decades to respond!
Immediate steps were too little too late despite warnings of #Garnockcourt #lakanal + many other fires around the globe.

Reviews occurred in @ScotGovBldgStds of primary legislation in 2003

Concept of fire and building safety life cycle isn’t a new one see paper circa 2007/8
Read 34 tweets
Stephen Mackenzie Profile picture
30 Jun
@firesafeFSM @RICSnews FRA is the fundamental premise of our building, fire, health, & safety regime.

Reduce process down to tick-box form, you lose complexity of fire safety in modern buildings.

EWS1 completely ignors the premise a building only has to adequately resist fire for a period of time.
@firesafeFSM @RICSnews Case 1 - New Build circa 2012

Sizeable development within @justinmadders constituency who kindly reached out to help the seller.

Building under 18m & outwith EWS1 criteria

@AskNationwide insisting on EWS1 when valuers report (+ FRA) should suffice.

@firesafeFSM @RICSnews @justinmadders @AskNationwide Case 2 new build circa 2007, had @NHBC but outwith 10yr warranties period

FRA defers housing provider to assess cladding

@AskNationwide is insisting on EWS1, building is complaint at time of construction despite #barking type cladding +misleading letter

Read 10 tweets
Stephen Mackenzie Profile picture
7 Apr
@GeoffWilkinson @SadiqKhan @NightingaleLDN @fionatwycross @LondonFire @NFCC_FireChiefs @JuliaHB1 As Geoff points out we don’t see approvals or full robust fire safety strategy for @NightingaleLDN

Concerning the basis of HTM05-02 progressive horizontal evacuation - during a fire incident moving patients from a fire area to adjacent safe zone appears to be abandoned.
@GeoffWilkinson @SadiqKhan @NightingaleLDN @fionatwycross @LondonFire @NFCC_FireChiefs @JuliaHB1 In very high dependence units progressive evacuation may result in a fatality so fire tight boxed by compartmentation & sub-compartments permits defend in place + evacuation only as a last resort.

It’s unclear how this will be achieved in @NightingaleLDN
@GeoffWilkinson @SadiqKhan @NightingaleLDN @fionatwycross @LondonFire @NFCC_FireChiefs @JuliaHB1 With such expansive uncompartmented floor areas clearly not complying with the core requirements of HTM05-02

More over where very high dependancy areas such as ICU / ACU patient areas are designated & requiring a smaller sub-compartments units to limit fuel load + fire spread
Read 25 tweets

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