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FBU demands fitting of fire sprinkler systems in new
and existing schools;
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Hundreds of fires still occurring each year in schools
in England;
Firefighters have called on to tackle the ‘very real’
fire risk in schools and ensure that both new and existing
schools in England are fitted with vital fire safety features,
such as fire sprinkler systems.
The demand comes after the government announced a new £1.7bn fund
for the construction of 50 new schools and the repair of some
existing schools and colleges.
Currently, a gap in fire safety guidance in England (Building
Bulletin 100) allows those who build schools to do so without
carrying out a full risk assessment.
According to figures published by the Department for Education,
this has resulted in just 105 sprinkler systems being fitted in
the 673 new schools built in England last year [NOTE 1]. By
contrast, sprinklers are mandatory in new school buildings in
Scotland and Wales.
In 2016, the government had attempted to further water down the
fire safety guidance but backed down after the Grenfell tragedy.
The Department for Education has been stalling on carrying out a
consultation to update the guidance.
Now, the FBU is urging the government to immediately make clear
to those tasked with building the new schools that risk
assessments must be carried out as standard and that building
contracts will not be awarded unless companies confirm they will
do so.
The government is also being urged to prioritise the retrofitting
of sprinklers to already-existing schools and to provide whatever
funds are necessary to ensure the work can be completed. The FBU
says this work should be completed within five years.
The most recent government figures show that there were almost
600 fires in schools in the year 2018/19 requiring five or more
fire engines to attend. [NOTE 2]
Harrington Junior School in Derbyshire was destroyed in a fire in
May 2020. It later emerged that the school did not have
sprinklers fitted, making it the latest in a long line of schools
completely destroyed by fire.
The most recent government figures show that there were almost
600 fires in schools in the year 2018/19 with over 7000 over the
last decade. Zurich Insurance reports that large school fires can
cost between £3m and £20m per event.
Key advocates for high standards of regulation such as the Fire
Sector Federation have been campaigning for many years to make
schools safer. The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Fire Safety
and Rescue wrote to the education secretary yet again in June
this year to raise urgent concerns about the lack of progress on
automatic-sprinkler fitting in schools.
Firefighters are also raising concerns about the level of funding
announced to repair schools and address long-standing safety
issues such as the presence of asbestos in schools built prior to
2000. Asbestos is deadly and is a real threat to the health of
students, staff and all who use school buildings. In 2017 the
National Audit Office reported that the cost of all repairs to
the existing school estate required almost £7bn of capital
investment.
In England, there are over 24,000 schools and 174 further
education colleges.
Andy Dark, FBU assistant general secretary, said:
“As we have seen with the Grenfell Tower fire and other instances
of safety failings, loose regulation has left companies and
councils able to take shortcuts that ultimately put lives at
risk. We cannot allow that to continue happening in our schools.
“It is essential that the prime minister makes clear that safety
is the highest priority in the building and refurbishment of
schools and FE colleges and that the fitting of sprinkler systems
becomes the norm.
“This is the biggest school-building programme for many years and
it is essential that the schools are built to last.
“The government needs to re-open the dialogue with key
stakeholders now to introduce tougher regulation. The time has
come to stop dodging the issue and produce clear unequivocal
regulations that make certain that safety is schools and colleges
is assured.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
NOTE 1 - Written question on sprinklers in schools, Department
for Education -https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2019-03-12/231539/
NOTE 2 - Home Office FIRE STATISTICS TABLE 0301: Primary fires,
fatalities and non-fatal casualties in other buildings by motive
and building type, England: - https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fire-statistics-data-tables
