Lakanal House: “Fire risk training was 'inadequate"

Sam Masters of the South London Press reported today (Monday, 18 January) that Fire Risk Assessment Training for council staff to check for fire risks in tower blocks was inadequate for “complex” buildings, it has emerged.
Before the fatal blaze at Lakanal House in Camberwell on July 3, a change in legislation shifted responsibility from London Fire Brigade to the town halls to check buildings were safe.
Many town halls paid specialist surveyors to carry out the fire risk assessments (FRAs) on high-rises after 2006 – including Labour-run Lewisham and Lambeth councils.
But Lib Dem/Tory-run Southwark council kept the inspections in-house, sending staff on fire brigade training courses in 2008.
This week, a leaked email from Steve Turek, the London Fire Brigade’s assistant commissioner for fire safety regulation, threw the training received by council staff into doubt.
He said those on the one-day course were given “basic” knowledge of the importance and methods of risk assessments.
He said: “Our course information clearly states that the course is designed to provide participants with the knowledge and understanding to undertake FRAs in simple premises such as offices, small retail and similar premises.
“The course is not designed to equip attendees to carry out FRAs in complex structures where a clear level of expertise is required.”
The South London Press revealed last week how a town hall officer had failed to spot fire risks in a block that shared a similar layout to Lakanal House.
The FRA for Perronet House at Elephant & Castle – conducted on April 27, five weeks before the Lakanal tragedy – found only “low” and “medium” fire risks.
But a later FRA, compiled by specialists Turner & Townsend on July 17, discovered “extreme” risks and demanded a raft of safety improvements.
Councillor Ian Wingfield, Southwark Labour opposition spokesman for housing, said: “In sending out undertrained staff to carry out the vital checks to make sure our tenants and leaseholders are safe, the administration has shown a callous lack of concern for their well-being.”
A Southwark spokesman said: “These intrusive inspections [by outside contractors] go beyond what is required in a fire risk assessment.
“After the Lakanal Fire we decided to review our approach to high-rise blocks.
“We carried out, on a risk assessed basis, more detailed intrusive and technical inspections carried out by independent experts, which involve looking at the fabric of the building, under ceilings and behind walls if necessary.”
Southwark has now pledged to carry out “intrusive” checks on its 175 high-rises this year.