Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service is working together with fire and rescue services across the North West to improve fire safety in high-rise residential buildings.

One year ago (23 January 2023), the Fire Safety England Regulations came into effect and implemented the majority of the recommendations made by the Grenfell Tower Inquiry in its Phase 1 report.

Over the past 12 months fire safety teams across the North West have worked with councils, housing associations and managing agents to support compliance with the new laws and keep residents safe. This has included sharing information through online events, developing leaflets that can be distributed to residents and producing guidance and templates to support fault reporting.

To further support the safety of residents living in blocks of flats across our region, new video resources have been developed by the North West Protection Group – made up of Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service, Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, and Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service – and have been made available on our websites.

The new material will be used to help organisations legally responsible for fire safety in high-rise buildings, and individuals working on their behalf, manage their buildings’ compliance with the regulations. The resources will also be used to better residents’ understanding of the fire safety arrangements in their buildings.  

Ensuring that residents in all high-rise residential buildings across the North West have access to fire safety information will reduce the risk of fire and help residents feel safe in their homes. Monthly checks on fire safety systems and equipment - which are now required by fire safety laws – will improve building safety and alert firefighters of essential firefighting equipment that isn’t working effectively.

In Merseyside, there are almost 300 high-rise residential buildings. As well as providing support to residents and those responsible for fire safety in high-rise buildings, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service runs regular large-scale training exercises to ensure that our firefighters are adequately prepared to respond to high-rise incidents.

Since the fire at Grenfell Tower in 2017, blocks of flats across England have needed to change their evacuation strategy because of serious fire safety concerns. This causes concern for residents, so it is very important that residents have information about what to do if there is a fire until all buildings are made safe.

Monthly checks now required by safety laws will ensure that buildings are safe and that where essential firefighting equipment isn’t working effectively, Firefighters are aware so response plans can be adjusted. The new videos supplement the information already provided with the aim of supporting monthly checks to be undertaken effectively, with residents able to access information about fire safety in different ways.

This is one of numerous projects being undertaken by the North West Protection Group to improve the standards of building and business safety across the region.

For more information on high-rise fire safety, including specific advice for both residents and responsible persons, please visit: High Rise Fire Safety videos | Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service (merseyfire.gov.uk)

Merseyside Fire & Rescue Chief Fire Officer Phil Garrigan said:

“As a sector, we continue to build on the learning following the tragic events at Grenfell Tower in 2017. The implementation of new legislation and associated responsibilities now in place for those responsible for high rise residential premises, coupled with the efforts of operational fire crews and technical fire safety specialists are necessary to ensure the safety of persons living in blocks of flats and high rise premises.

“As a region, we have collaborated on a piece of work intended to provide guidance and information to such persons so that they understand more clearly the requirements outlined in the new legislation. We hope that the materials made available via our respective websites and social media platforms assist in that regard.

“Our specialist teams across the entire North West remain committed in their role to provide support and guidance where needed and I would encourage all those responsible for residential blocks of flats and high rise buildings to be proactive in their engagement with their local fire and rescue service, to ensure the requirements of the legislation are being met and thereby securing the safety of their residents.”