After the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, fire safety and evacuation procedures in high-rise buildings across the UK have been a priority. With new measures and funding being put in place to replace dangerous cladding, building owners need to be supporting these improvements by implementing their own. This includes installing a fire alarm system in line with the Simultaneous Evacuation Guidance document prepared by the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) to ensure the absolute safety of your tenants.
Waking Watches support the evacuation of a building in the case of a fire, with trained wardens present on site 24/7. They were brought in by the National Fire Chiefs Council to keep residents safe, monitoring the building both inside and out to determine if a fire has broken out as quickly as possible. It is then their job to raise an alarm and assist the residents of the building in evacuating calmly and safely.
Even after the Grenfell Tower Fire, many buildings in the UK still have 24/7 Waking Watch patrols in place. These patrols are costly and unnecessary, with much of the cost now falling on leaseholders’ laps. Recent advice from the government suggests that buildings should be installing proper fire alarm systems to remove the need for Waking Watch patrols, lowering ongoing expense.
Why install a fire alarm system?
• Fire alarm systems provide one up-front cost and the odd maintenance cost down the line, but then that’s it! You’re set for good with no large monthly outgoings.
• Fire alarm systems have the ability to detect signs of fire that may not be clear at first to the naked eye.
• Fire will be detected much sooner and therefore the building evacuated or the fire contained much quicker.
• Fire alarm systems have a built-in alarm, meaning as soon as the smallest sign of a fire is detected, the alarm will sound, alerting everyone to the emergency and allowing them to evacuate as quickly and safely as possible.
Some alarm systems now even have the ability to automatically alert the fire brigade, immediately as the alarm goes off.
• You can get a wireless version to speed up installation time and you don’t need to penetrate fire barriers running new cables.
• It eliminates the “human error” of the waking watch and the reliability variable of the person or people in charge of detecting a fire.
• With many different types of fire system to choose from, you can be sure there will be an option that’s perfectly suited to your building and situation. You can find more information about different fire alarm systems here.
Feeling overwhelmed with choice? Just get in touch and we can help you find the best solution for your building.
According to a recent study by The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, the cost of employing one Waking Watch person exceeds the average cost of installing an alarm system in as little as 3 months.
