National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) Calls For Consistency In Sprinkler Regulations

During the National Sprinkler Week, Fire Chiefs will be highlighting how different approaches to sprinklers across the United Kingdom (UK) means that not all new schools will be protected.

The FPA is supporting the campaign that runs from Monday, 17th - 23rd May. It will raise awareness of the benefits of sprinkler systems in keeping people and buildings safe from fire.

sprinklers installation

One area the NFCC is concerned about is new build schools. In Scotland and Wales, sprinklers are required but not in England or Northern Ireland.

This is despite research from Zurich Municipal, the insurer of schools, identifying that schools are nearly twice as likely to suffer a fire as other types of commercial buildings.

sprinkler regulations

Fire and rescue services in the UK attend on average about 1,500 school fires each year

Fire and rescue services in the UK attend on average about 1,500 school fires each year, which cause disruption to the education of around 90,000 pupils.

The NFCC is calling on the government to remove the disparity in sprinkler regulations across the UK. The legislation in Wales and Scotland is stricter across many building types meaning their communities have more fire protection than those of England and Northern Ireland.

Fire safety protection

Jonathan Dyson, NFCC Lead for Sprinklers, said, “The evidence speaks for itself; our research proves that sprinklers are very effective and provide strong fire safety protections as part of a fire safety package. Wales and Scotland recognize this and have implemented measures to make their communities safer from fire; we want to see these same changes in England and Northern Ireland as a matter of urgency.”

To find out more about the campaign follow #ThinkSprinkler on social media. The FPA is the market pioneer in sprinkler systems inspection and testing, providing detailed and comprehensive reporting written by experts to ensure systems work as well as they should.