Kitchens are the seat of more fires than any other location in purpose-built blocks of flats, according to statistics from BAFSA’s Incident Data Report No 3.
And the image, shared by Triangle Fire Systems, from an incident on June 25, at a residential block of flats in Birmingham shows the benefits of having sprinklers installed in these types of premises. Not only was the fire contained and controlled, smoke damage was limited to one area, reducing the impact on the resident’s ability to be back up and running.
Residential sprinkler system
In this case, Triangle Fire Systems were called to reinstate the residential sprinkler system the day after the fire on the 11th floor of this block of flats.
Triangle Fire Systems were called to reinstate the residential sprinkler system the day after the fire
Following the activation of one sidewall sprinkler head (VK480), the system was back online within 45 minutes of their arrival. Nick Coleshill, BAFSA’s sprinkler ambassador, says: “Birmingham Council should be applauded for their continued commitment to providing its residents with the highest level of fire safety by retrofitting sprinklers in all their high-rise residential block of flats.”
Social housing providers
Sadly this is not the case elsewhere in the country. A recent report in Inside Housing magazine found that out of 37 large social housing providers in England and the 1,768 of high-rise residential buildings they manage, only 334 (18.9%) had been fitted with sprinklers, and over half of these were fitted in one local authority (Birmingham).
BAFSA chief executive, Ali Perry, recently commented in the fire industry press on how he found the lack of progress in regard to retrofitting sprinklers in high-risk buildings ‘hard to believe’.