By Gavin Mackintosh And Bethany Ruby Rose-
The London Fire Brigade has today renewed urgent calls to the British government for mandatory sprinkler systems in all new-build schools.Figures from the London Fire Brigade reveals there were 90 fires in the capital’s preschools, nurseries, primary schools and secondary schools in 2017. This was significantly up from 67 in 2016. In all the schools that fell prey to fires, malicious or otherwise, only two of the 90 schools had sprinkler systems fitted. Further revelation that a staggering 707 fires were recorded between January 2010 and December 2017 in London schools, with just 14 of the schools affected having the requisite fire-preventing sprinklers is a deeply troubling state of affairs.
Last July, schools minister Nick Gibb admitted the government does not know how many of the 376 free schools that have opened since 2010 have been built without sprinkler systems.
The LFB’s warning comes nine years after a major fire devastated the Thomas Fairchild primary school in Hackney on July 30, 2009Brought to The Eye Of Media.Com’s attention by researchers from the brilliant School Week’s online publication with whom we sometimes liaise, the void has been described as ”a grave national problem, not getting the attention it deserves”. It requires urgent attention in order not to undermine the lives of pupils who could easily fall victim to one of these dangerous fires. Some of the fires are believed to be the result of arson caused by some sadistic pupils, but other times, by street rivals of individuals attending some of these schools. The aftermath of such fires can be very disruptive , and subject staff and pupils to severe stress, besides the large financial and administrative costs that could result from it.
So far in 2018, there have been 47 fires at schools in London. Sprinklers had been fitted in just one of the affected schools. The LGB says that 184 schools in London ignored the fire service’s advice to fit sprinklers in all new school buildings or major refurbishments of existing buildings.
”We want sprinklers to be mandatory in all new school buildings, and have been calling for all schools to be retrofitted with sprinklers during major refurbishments for a number of years”, a statement on the London Fire Brigade website states.
Delivering a stern criticism to the British government for its sluggishness in addressing the problem, London Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton said: “The Government should do their homework and realize that millions of pounds are wasted every year repairing fire damage in London’s schools when sprinklers could have prevented the spread of fire.
“This is not just about saving money; when a school is closed it disrupts a child’s education and affects parents by closing breakfast and after school clubs.“Sprinklers are the only fire safety system that detects a fire, suppresses a fire and raises the alarm. They save lives and protect property. While I ultimately want all schools to have sprinklers, the easiest time is to fit them are when schools are being built or refurbished and I find it staggering that such a simple safety measure is so easily omitted from the designs.”
As Dany Cotton blasted the government for its shocking failure to make sprinkler systems mandatory in new school builds, he said it was “staggering that such a simple safety measure is so easily omitted from the designs.” “Millions of pounds are wasted every year repairing fire damage in London’s schools when sprinklers could have prevented the spread of a fire,” she added.
“This is not just about saving money. When a school is closed it disrupts a child’s education and affects parents by closing breakfast and after school clubs.”The Fire Protection Association said the average cost of repairing the damage of large school fires increased from £330,000 per fire in 2009 to £2.8 million in 2014.
Figures released in February revealed that just 74 of the 260 schools rebuilt as part of phase one of the government’s priority school building programme have, or are planned to have, sprinklers fitted.
Later that month, the National Education Union and Fire Brigades Union accused the government of a “shockingly cavalier” attitude to fire safety after the announcement that Selsey Academy in West Sussex, which was almost completely destroyed by a fire in 2016, is set to be rebuilt without sprinklers because the original building did not have them.