Grenfell fire: sprinkler system would have cost £200,000
Sprinklers could have been installed at the Grenfell tower block at an estimated cost of £200,000, claims the Fire Sector Federation (FSF).
Fire engulfed the Grenfell tower block in North Kensington, London on June 14, 2017 and has so far claimed 30 lives.
The building had been subject to a £10m refurbishment that saw the bottom four floors remodelled to create nine new homes, plus the addition of rain screen cladding, replacement windows and curtain wall façades. Internally, a new communal heating system and smoke extraction and ventilation system were fitted.
Survivors report being alerted to the fire by neighbours fleeing the building down a single stair case.
FSF, a forum for organisations in the fire and safety sector created to advise and help shape policy on fire-related issues, said that although a fire on such a scale is unprecedented in the UK, there have been a number of similar incidents here and around the world.
The federtion added that it has expressed major concerns about the apparent disjoint in the processes that aim to ensure fire safety within the built environment, as well as concerns about the combustibility of certain modern building materials.
Register now to continue reading
Thanks for visiting The Engineer. You’ve now reached your monthly limit of news stories. Register for free to unlock unlimited access to all of our news coverage, as well as premium content including opinion, in-depth features and special reports.
Benefits of registering
-
In-depth insights and coverage of key emerging trends
-
Unrestricted access to special reports throughout the year
-
Daily technology news delivered straight to your inbox
Fusion inches closer as ITER completes magnet system
The problem with a Tokamak shape for the fusion plasma, is that the magnetic field from the central solenoid reduces from the centre outwards, leading...