Howard Passey talks to Sarah Brodie from the Association of British Insurers about what matters to the insurance industry when it comes to fire safety.
In this third episode of the FPA’s brand-new podcast, Assembly Point, Howard and Sarah discuss how legislation offers the opportunity for welcome improvements to fire safety in the built environment.
fundamental reform
The ABI has argued for many years that there needs to be fundamental reform of the building safety and regulatory system. The ABI has three key asks from the government that would greatly improve fire safety.
- Combustible cladding shouldn’t be limited to a height threshold, instead, it should reflect the risk and vulnerability of the building and the people within it.
- Improving the resilience of properties by mandating the use of sprinklers in new build high-rise-high-risk buildings and installing high-integrity fire alarms to reduce false alarms.
- Modern methods of construction should include rigorous testing of the long-term durability, repairability, and resilience of such buildings so that the insurance industry can fully understand the costs and that these buildings can access insurance.
importance of sprinklers
Sprinklers not only improve the safety of individuals but to reduce the amount of damage to the building
Considering the importance of sprinklers as part of a fire protection strategy, Sarah said, “The ABI is very much aligned with the FPA in calling for mandatory sprinklers in high-risk, high-rise buildings."
"There is significant evidence to show the benefits of sprinklers, not only to improve the safety of individuals but to reduce the amount of damage to the building. Losses from fires in buildings protected by sprinklers are estimated to be one-tenth of those without sprinkler protection.”
sprinkler mandate
The government has announced it will be mandating sprinkler systems in all new high-rise blocks of flats over 11 meters in height and the outcome of the consultation on BB100 sprinklers in schools will be published shortly.
Sarah added, “These reforms need to go further. They need to be based on risk and not height.”
fire risk assessments
Premises owners have such a poor understanding of the way that their buildings are despite the requirements"
Broadening their discussion to consider the FPA campaign, Know Your Building, Sarah urged building owners to understand their fire risk and have fire risk assessments in place along with mitigation strategies that include an active approach to managing risks.
Howard added, “It continues to amaze me that premises owners have such a poor understanding of the way that their building has been constructed despite the requirements in the building regulations to pass information across at the end of construction.”
Fire Safety Bill
The Fire Safety Bill is at the last stages of its parliamentary journey and the Building Safety Bill is yet to be introduced. The ABI, along with other organizations, has commented on the Bill during its pre-legislative scrutiny phase.
Sarah said, “There is a lot to welcome with these bills. We look forward to working with the government as they progress through parliament. We hope these deliver the lasting changes we have been calling for. I think it’s essential that these reforms ensure buildings are built in a manner that reduces the risk of fire for the lifetime of the building and there is a robust system of accountability.”
RISCAuthority
RISCAuthority is an insurance-funded research scheme administered and supported by the FPA
The ABI is encouraging the government to work at pace to get these reforms in place to achieve a better-built environment.
RISCAuthority is an insurance-funded research scheme administered and supported by the FPA. If building owners better understand the financial impact of fires, they would be more inclined to treat safety as a higher property.
commercial fire claim
ABI data shows that fewer fires, but the fires they do see are more costly and more likely to lead to the total loss of a structure. For the period 2010-17, the average cost of a commercial fire claim has increased threefold from £11,000 to over £33,000.
Sarah said, “The building regulation reform needs to step in so that insurers can have the confidence that if a fire is to occur, that fire spread is limited in the way that the building regulations say it will be.”
Importance of competence
We were glad to see the provision in the Building Safety Bill for approving the skills and competence"
Howard and Sarah conclude this episode of Assembly Point by discussing the importance of competence, which is a core aspect of Dame Judith Hackitt’s Independent Review of Building Fire Safety.
Sarah confirmed the ABI’s view on this, “The competence of those carrying out fire safety measures is really important. We were glad to see the provision in the Building Safety Bill for approving the skills and competence of building contractors and fire safety professionals."
minimum standard
"We support the government’s plans for all inspectors to meet a minimum standard of competence. We are calling for certification for all fire safety engineers and contractors to ensure they are suitably qualified to do this work.”
Sarah Brodie is a Policy Advisor for general insurance at the ABI, with responsibility for property-related issues. The ABI represents the interests of the insurance and long-term savings industry, with over 200 member companies, the role of the ABI is to be the public voice of the sector.