Agenda item

Report of the Director of Service Delivery (CSCPC/20/7) attached.

The Committee received, for information, a report of the Director of Service Delivery (CSCPC/20/7) on progress by the Service in implementing recommendations from the Grenfell Phase 1 Inquiry and use of additional grant funding.

Some 26 of the Grenfell recommendations applied to the fire sector including the Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service (“the Service”). The report indicated that 8 of these were completed. Of the 26 ongoing, 18 were due to be completed by the end of December 2020, with the remainder to be completed by 1 April 2021. There were no high-rise residential properties with aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding in the Service area. Cladding had been removed from the three Devonport Towers in Plymouth and had been fitted with sprinklers and a full evacuation system. As such, they were now designated as “low risk” by the National Fire Protection Board. Within the Service area there were 172 buildings meeting the high-rise definition for operational planning and response. These buildings included residential, student accommodation, hotels and others.

The Service had received grant funding totalling £455,125 to support the outcomes of Grenfell in addition to general improvements in fire safety standards and outcomes as follows:

·        Building Risk Review Programme (£60,000);

·        Protection Uplift Programme Grant (£256,909); and

·        Grenfell Infrastructure Fund (£138,216).

The Building Risk Review Programme had been developed by the National Fire Chiefs’ Council (NFCC) to support the Fire Protection Board in reviewing fire safety arrangements for all “in scope” high rise residential buildings over 18 metres by December 2021. The Service had identified a multi-disciplinary team (protection; prevention; risk; communication and engagement) and developed an action plan to deliver the programme for the 89 buildings identified in the Service area. To date, 21 of these buildings had been inspected, with the remainder to be addressed by September 2021.

In response to a question, the Director of Service Delivery advised that none of the buildings inspected to date had any composite cladding albeit that there could be other, “hidden”, construction issues that were within the building engineering rather than fire service remit at present. Progression of the Building Safety Bill could, however, see the introduction of a new compliance regime.

In response to other issues raised during the debate, the Director of Service Delivery also advised:

·       that the Service was a statutory consultee only for building developments. There was, however, the opportunity for Members to promote fire safety issues while discharging their roles (e.g. planning) at constituent authorities. Members commented that, in this respect, the provision of appropriate awareness of fire safety issues to planning committees might be beneficial;

·       that a dynamic risk assessment existed for individual buildings to inform the most appropriate way of responding to an incident. While early evacuation would always be a high priority, this would need to be achieved as safely as possible. The Service adhered to NFCC guidance in this area.

The report identified that the Protection Uplift funding was for use in bolstering fire protection capability and delivery in line with the locally-agreed Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP) and risk-based inspection programmes. The funding could be used for a range of associated issues such as upskilling of operational staff and hardware acquisitions (e.g. tablets and body cameras). The Service was developing an action plan to provide increased numbers of Building Safety Officers alongside increasing qualifications for existing staff. Further details would be submitted to the Committee in due course.

Some 319 smoke-hoods and associated equipment had been purchased using Grenfell Infrastructure funding. The smoke-hoods would be used to complement other Service activities to secure, where required, safe evacuations from premises.