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Firefighters' union calls for national review of evacuation procedures

THE Fire Brigades Union called for a national review of evacuation procedures for tower blocks today in its closing statement for the first phase of the Grenfell Tower inquiry.

In a series of recommendations, the union urged a review of fire service procedures and training, to plan for residents of all high-rise buildings to be rescued or evacuated, in the event that the “stay put” policy becomes unworkable.

Firefighters were put in an “utterly impossible position” on the night of the Grenfell fire on June 14 last year, which killed 72 people, as the council-owned block had been “stripped of all its basic fire safety measures,” FBU general secretary Matt Wrack said.

His statement follows the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO) — an arm’s-length body that had been responsible for the tower and its refurbishment which led to it being covered in flammable cladding — shifting blame onto firefighters for having initially told residents to stay in their flats.

PSB, which made the smoke ventilation system, and Rydon, the main contractor on the tower’s refurbishment, decided not to make closing statements.

“We have said from the beginning that it is ill-judged that the inquiry started by looking at the night of the fire rather than the decisions which led up to it,” Mr Wrack also said.

The union said that more research and large-scale exercises was needed to test and revise evacuation procedures.

Building owners or landlords should help residents to understand the evacuation strategy and work with local agencies to rigorously assess the safety of high rise residential buildings, it added.

The FBU also called for an overhaul of procedures and training for firefighters, including how to identify serious breaches of compartmentation and the viability of “stay put” when a fire has spread to multiple areas or there is a real risk that it will do so.

Mr Wrack continued: “This is clearly not just a London issue. Central government must finally face up to its responsibilities on fire policy.

“We are calling for a national review and for national planning for evacuation in some circumstances.

“Such planning could then be applied locally for every high-rise residential building across the UK. This is no easy task, but, if we are to truly make changes after Grenfell, we must work towards this goal.”

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