Cumbria’s top firefighter is supporting calls by the Local Government Association for a fundamental review of building regulations following last week’s catastrophic Warwickshire warehouse fire.
The county’s Chief Fire Officer Dominic Harrison is supporting the LGA which wants to see an overhaul of existing building regulations that currently do not compel new buildings to undertake an assessment of whether fire suppression systems –such as sprinklers –are needed.
Currently, some warehouses as large as 20,000m2 do not have to have sprinklers fitted to them. The LGA will ask ministers at a meeting this week to review this requirement and to investigate whether fire-suppression systems should be fitted to smaller buildings.
Mr Harrison has written to his opposite number in Warwickshire to express Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service’s condolences following the tragic events of last week.
Cumbria’s Chief Fire Officer Dominic Harrison, said: "Our thoughts are with our fellow firefighters and their families who find themselves in the middle of their hour of grief.
"These tragic events Warwickshire place a duty on all of us to make sure lessons are fully learned and action taken where required to minimise risk in the future.
"The Local Government Association is right to call for a review of building regulations to explore whether new buildings should undertake a fire suppression system assessment as a matter of course."
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