The fire that broke out at Lakanal House in 2009 with tragic consequences put the spotlight on the issue of fire safety in local authority tower blocks

1. Fire safety: protecting local authority tower blocks
The fire that broke out at Lakanal House in 2009 with tragic consequences put the spotlight on the
issue of fire safety in local authority tower blocks.
This is an example of a building that met the safety regulations in force at the time of its construction.
Knowledge of the behaviour of fire and smoke in this type of building has since progressed, and if
Lakanal House had been brought up to current safety standards the tragedy might have been averted.
Consider how many
other such
developments exist out
there: how can we
ensure that old tower
blocks meet current
safety standards and
minimise the risk of the
tragic events of 2009?
Moving forward
As an industry, what
procedures can we
adopt to avoid such
appalling events? How
can we ensure landlords
and building managers
of old tower blocks
revisit the fundamental
fire strategies for these
properties? Could the
answer be to extend mandatory periodic risk assessments in residential tower blocks, as is the case
for commercial buildings? Should these efforts to ensure old tower blocks are appropriately protected
be led by industry or legislation?
We have seen the consequences of insufficient fire protection at Lakanal House, but what lessons
have we learnt? What are we, as an industry, doing about it and how is legislation dealing with the
issue? What more can we do?
In my opinion, while there is no single universal solution for ageing local authority housing stock, the
introduction of smoke control to common landlord areas is an affordable improvement that could offer
immediate benefit to the safety of tenants without excessive personal disruption. What do you think?
Of course, any improvement should be considered in conjunction with all the fire safety provisions of
the building to ensure safety in the event of a fire is maximised.
© 2013 Colt International Licensing Ltd.

2. © 2013 Colt International Licensing Ltd.