New Waking Watch Replacement Fund 2023

The UK government has introduced a new fund worth £18.6 million to cover the expenses of installing alarm systems in residential buildings as a replacement for Waking Watch measures. The fund applies to all residential buildings in England that currently have a Waking Watch in place, regardless of who bears the costs of the waking […]

Future Fire’s Q1

Fire safety has been a top priority for many leaseholders in the UK, and it seems that 2023 is off to a busy start for Future Fire.  In light of new Fire Safety Regulations, we have been hard at work ensuring that their clients are fully compliant. One notable accomplishment was the completion of their […]

Wayfinding Signage (The Fire Safety Regulations)

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 report noted that in the building, stairwell landings were not clearly marked with the relevant floor number and so fire-fighters were unable to easily identify floors when carrying out their duties. The Inquiry recommended that in all high-rise buildings “floor numbers be clearly marked on each landing within the […]

Lifts & Firefighting Equipment (The Fire Safety Regulations 2022)

When the firefighters attended the fire at Grenfell Tower, they were unable to operate the mechanism that should have allowed them to take control of the lifts. The Inquiry recommended that the owner and manager of every high-rise residential building be required by law to carry out regular inspections of any lifts that are designed […]

Floor Plans & Building Plans (The Fire Safety Regulations 2022)

The Inquiry following Grenfell recommended that the owner and manager of every high-rise residential building be required by law to provide the fire and rescue service with up-to-date plans of every floor of the building, identifying the location of key fire safety systems. There are two types of plans; Floor Plans, and Building Plans / […]

Design & Materials of External Walls (The Fire Regulations 2022)

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry noted in the Phase 1 that “A sound understanding of the materials used in the construction of any high-rise building is essential if the fire and rescue service is to be properly prepared to carry out its function in relation to that building. The details about the design and materials of […]

Secure Information Boxes (The Fire Safety Regulations 2022)

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 report highlighted that the lack of on-site information available to London Fire Brigade on the night could have further hampered their response had the layout of the building been more complex. The Inquiry recommended that the owner and manager of all high-rise residential buildings be required by law to […]

Fire Door Checks (The Fire Safety Regulations 2022)

Following on from last week’s update, the minimum requirement is for the responsible person to undertake an inspection of the doors to identify any obvious damage or issues. It should not be necessary to engage a specialist for these checks as the responsible person should be able to carry out these checks themselves. However Future […]

Information to Residents: Fire Doors (The Fire Safety Regulations 2022)

New regulations will make it a requirement for all responsible persons of all multi-occupied residential buildings in England with storeys over 11 meters in height to: undertake quarterly checks of all fire doors (including self-closing devices) in the common parts undertake – on a best endeavour basis – annual checks of all flat entrance doors (including […]

Information to Residents: Fire Safety Instructions (The Fire Safety Regulations 2022) 

From the 23rd January 2023, the new regulations will make it a requirement for all responsible persons of all multi-occupied residential buildings in England with two or more sets of domestic premises (and which have common parts), to provide residents with fire safety instructions. Responsible persons will need to provide residents with instructions on: how […]

Fire Risk Assessment Prioritisation Tool (The Fire Safety Regulations 2022)

The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022  The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 (the Regulations) have been introduced as an important step towards implementing the recommendations of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 report. The Regulations are being introduced under Article 24 of the Fire Safety Order and will come into force on 23 January 2023.  Most of the requirements set […]

New Fire Safety Law

London Fire Brigade calls on housing providers to get ready for new fire safety law. All major housing providers in the capital urged to get plans in place. This legislation, the Fire Safety Bill, clarifies that external walls fall under the fire safety regulations that the Brigade enforces in London under the Regulatory Reform (Fire […]