Grenfell Tower fire: What can property managers learn?
Posted Wednesday, June 8, 2022
What happened at Grenfell Tower?
In June 2017, a fire broke out in the kitchen of a fourth-floor at a 23-storey block in North Kensington, West London. The fire spread to all four sides of the building and tragically, 72 residents died. It is believed that the polyethene material in the recently installed exterior cladding caused the fire to spread. However, the causes of the fire go a lot deeper, and it indicated the lack of standards for fire safety and improper risk management.
Other notable failures include having no evacuation plans for residents with disabilities, important actions in fire risk assessments going unactioned and complaints about fire safety going unaddressed.
How can property management companies improve?
- In addition to last year’s Fire Safety Act, there have been further regulations announced on the 18th of May. As a starting point, Property Managers should adhere to these changes, ensuring that the properties they oversee are designed to be as fire-safe as possible.
- Ensure that the most vulnerable residents are considered when preparing for these rules and advising local services on where in the building these residents live.
- Identify fire hazards and implement comprehensive fire risk assessments to prevent fires.
- Provide proper fire detection to protect residents and alert them if there is a fire.
- Develop an emergency evacuation plan, ensuring that residents know what they need to do in the event of a fire alarm.
- Review and update regularly to keep up to the latest standards.
How is Fexco Property Group putting your safety first?
As we recognise the five-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire, Fexco Property Group remains committed to delivering the highest safety standards. Our property managers receive regular pragmatic training and legislative developments from our Building Safety specialists.
As a resident, it is your right to feel safe and secure. Fexco Property Services is qualified and adhering to the new Building Safety Act 2022. Our Building Safety team cover all elements of Health & Safety and Building Safety.
Our team of experts consist of ex-serving Fire Officers, Law degree qualified personnel, experienced property managers, an operations manager from a risk consultancy – forming one of the best cross-functional teams in the property management industry.
Their role is to provide strategic guidance to the business on how to future-proof our delivery of smart and compliant property management services. This includes delivering centralised compliance oversight and active monitoring of all our buildings to support our property teams on the ground.
“We are proud to operate to the exacting standards of ISO 45001 across our Occupational H&S with a dedicated H&S team. We also have a robust Fire Risk Management System aligned with BS9997:2019.” - Graham Oliphant, Head of Building Safety for the Fexco Group.
The team’s exceptional skills are also used to be proactive in anticipating the oncoming Building Safety Act. We also have a dedicated High-Risk Building team who provide another layer of assurance and scrutiny to our 18m plus buildings.
Our staff work together to ensure our business is adhering to the latest regulations and will always go the extra mile to reassure our clients and residents.
View our recent Q&A with the Head of the Building Safety Team.
For more information on our Building Safety and Fire Safety Standards, contact us here.
