Could warehouse operators be forced to install sprinklers?
Could Fire and Rescue Authorities compel warehouse operators to install sprinklers? In some circumstances, yes, says Jonathan Herrick of the West Midlands Fire Service.
England has one of the greatest tolerances in Europe for compartment sizes before sprinklers or sub-division is mandated. We are experiencing fewer fires these days, but the cost of each fire is escalating and effects are wide-ranging, smoke pollutes the air and run-off pollutes watercourses. Many businesses that experience a fire in their premises never recover, threatening jobs and the supply chain alike.
The alternative is a sprinkler system. It fights the fire at source (and continues to do so when a human would be forced to leave by the heat and smoke). Contrary to what we see in Hollywood movies, only the heads nearest the fire operate. Far less water is used by a sprinkler system than by the Fire and Rescue Service.
At a recent National Sprinkler Summit the Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA), together with representatives of the insurance and sprinkler industries (domestic and European), and members of the wider fire industry agreed a statement of intent. They committed to a shared aim of collectively lobbying for the provision of sprinkler systems within high fire risk properties, where it is not currently required by law.
Given the size of fires, the resources taken to tackle large blazes and the environmental and economic costs to the business and community these bodies might be right to force the issue. The balance of power, right now, is towards economic growth and (while lobbying can be met with lobbying) only time will tell who has the better argument for economic growth; but can this commitment to the earlier installation of sprinklers actually have teeth? In other words, could Fire and Rescue Authorities compel warehouse owners to install sprinklers?
Current fire safety law in England and Wales requires fire fighting equipment to be provided in premises where necessary. The provision is necessary when the triangle of fire can come together i.e. in the vast majority of places (including warehouses). The current approved documents that support the Building Regulations require sprinklers to be installed when the area of a proposed warehouse exceeds 2,000m2. For this reason, an increasing number of warehouses are built with an area measuring just under this value, sometimes by as little as 0.5m2 under.
This is unhelpful and misses the point. The values are set to ensure that fires and losses are not too great and that a fire fighting attack by the fire service can be made. Equally the avoidance of requirements under Building Regulations does not mean that enforcement cannot be taken, when premises are occupied.
From a fire-fighting point of view the external envelope of a warehouse is designed to keep out the weather, so the best way to fight a fire is from within. When the risk inside is too great to send fire fighters in or would put the lives of fire-fighters at risk, fire services will fight it from outside. This often serves only to protect surrounding buildings from fire spread.
It is clear that fire fighting equipment must be appropriate to the circumstances of the premises. The law says “any non-automatic fire-fighting equipment [must be] easily accessible, simple to use and indicated by signs.”
This can be read to imply that fire-fighting equipment should be automatic in nature. However the more usual solution is to provide fire extinguishers and to train selected employees to safely use and operate them. But they must not put themselves at risk to fight fire; their personal safety is the priority. So how safe can a person be when they are in close proximity to a fire in a building, especially a warehouse? What if safety is threatened? Presumably (and hopefully) they leave.
{EMBED(720829)}
Safety might depend on the quality of training received, but can also be affected by how quickly the person knows about and can reach the fire (with the fire fighting equipment). This might depend on the features of the premises (e.g. warehouse), the activity carried on there (e.g. storage and work process), any hazard present (e.g. large quantities of combustible material) or any other relevant circumstances (e.g. a sparse population and the time it would take to reach a fire (and tackle it) or to reach an exit).
Fire and Rescue Authorities will consider these features and will want to know if the use of a fire extinguisher is appropriate; whether or not the risk of doing so is acceptable; whether everyone can safely escape if something goes wrong, etc. Depending on the outcome of these considerations, Fire and Rescue Authorities could force warehouse operators to install sprinklers.
Installing sprinklers provides fire-fighting equipment that is automatic in nature, fire-fighting takes place simultaneous to evacuation and the extinguishing media is always in close proximity to the fire. This is better for the warehouse, better for employees, better for the environment and better for the economy, not to mention the safety of our fire-fighters.
Whereas fire extinguishers make warehouses reliant on the actions of employees, sprinklers make warehouses more resilient.
Jonathan Herrick BEng (Hons), MSc, MIFireE, fire engineering and partnerships manager for West Midlands Fire Service
