Bedfordshire Fire Service warn they may not be able to access new tower block
Firefighters may not be able to reach all sides of a planned 17-storey tower block in Luton
Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service has warned that it may not be able to reach all sides of a planned 17-storey tower block in Luton, raising questions about how a fire in the building would be tackled.
The concerns were discussed during last week’s Fire and Rescue Authority’s Audit and Standards Committee (Wednesday, July 9).
Committee chair, councillor Amjid Ali (Luton Borough Council) asked how the service would respond to emergencies at the proposed 17-storey development, recently approved by Luton Borough Council’s Development Management Committee.
The applicant submitted full plans for three multi-storey buildings on a three quarters of an acre site at 13 to 31 Dunstable Road (24/00847/FUL).
The councillor said the site is located on a hillside with only a single access road.
“If that is blocked, then the other side of it is… about it a minimum of two storeys below the building itself,” councillor Ali said.
“Essentially, what that means is if we’re trying to reach any of the higher floors, we would need equipment that reaches up to about 19-20 storeys.
“I’m not sure that we have that kind of equipment around, so what has the fire brigade done to actually mitigate that?” he asked.
Assistant chief fire officer (ACFO) Jason Tai explained that while the service does operate aerial platforms they are not always sufficient for modern high-rise buildings.
He said that in some cases, even London Fire Brigade’s post-Grenfell aerial equipment, with a reach of 64 metres, cannot reach the top floors of the tallest towers.
“There are buildings within Bedfordshire where we may not be able to get to all four sides,” ACFO Tai said.
He explained that for buildings of this scale, the service adopts a strategy of internal firefighting.
This relies on in-built features like wet risers (vertical pipes that provide water to fire crews on upper floors) and other fixed safety systems.
Firefighters train regularly in known high-rise buildings and use pre-determined response plans for each location.
“We’ve done a lot of work following Grenfell,” he said, adding that the service had implemented all phase one recommendations from the inquiry and is now working on phase two, which includes improvements in communication, equipment, and coordination.
The fire service’s head of prevention and protection, Robert Hulatt, said: “The first thing we check with planning is: is there sufficient water supply, and is there sufficient access and egress in case of emergency?
“Then the Building Safety Regulator won’t let it go ahead until their fire engineers are satisfied that the building is absolutely safe to inhabit.”
He added that another major development in Luton, “The Stage” was delayed due to the regulator not being satisfied with the developers’ fire safety proposals.
The Stage is a £136m town centre regeneration mixed-use development on the former Bute Street shoppers car park in Church Street.
It includes residential properties, a “multi-purpose performance and community area”, a food court and commercial space.
“And that delay can only be in the best interest of the residents or the people
that will utilize that building,” fire officer Hulatt said.