This week the British Woodworking Federation (BWF) and the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers have urged the Greater London Authority (GLA) to recommend specifying third-party certificated fire-rated products, especially fire doors and their components, and to advise all London boroughs to do the same.
In a joint response to the Assembly’s Planning and Housing Committee report on fire risks in London’s tall and timber framed residential buildings, our two organisations made specific comments on the specification, installation, inspection and maintenance of fire doors.
The Committee’s report was prompted by a series of fires, including Lakanal House where six people lost their lives, and fires involving timber-framed construction sites at Colindale, Camberwell and Peckham.
In our experience, specifications are often compromised in the interests of cost-saving, and in our opinion there is a distinct culture within the construction and facilities management sectors to always assume that it is someone else’s responsibility to ensure that fire doors are correct.
In order to correct this we need to drive the industry to recognise how important third-party certificated fire-rated products are, and how they can simply save lives. We also agree with the GLA report’s finding that there needs to be greater coherence in the training and accreditation of fire risk assessors. Here at the BWF, we believe that these two drivers will start to make a difference in the fire safety of all multiple-occupied residential buildings.
We strongly urge the GLA and all London boroughs to sit up and take notice of how easy it would be to take steps towards safer buildings in our capital city.
Richard Lambert
Chief executive
British Woodworking Federation
