High Rise Fire

[IWalkLikeHimaMartian]

It looks like the government will be in the firing line again.

 

[Judy in the sky]

Yep, "Lessons will be learned" we'll be hearing in the next few weeks (wondering now if we've heard this before, or are we we all suffer from déjà vu ? )

 

[Mikefromlondon]

Not only that, but it now means that if any such materials and methods have been used on other towers, they will all need to be taken down and redone in more suitable materials, which means someone will have to pay for it again! higher local taxes! as these are council owned and run properties.

 

[Brigadier]

They spent 10million on refurb last year, that worked out at £85,000 for each of the 120 flats, sounds a lot of money for a refurb, and when you think how it ended up in a complete disaster.. I am sure there will be hundreds of lessons we would be learning and we will have to meet new rules, such as sprinklers, smoke extraction, proper fire alarms linked to a central control panel and remotely monitored by security companies.

One of the things they said about a sudden evacuation of 600 people if the alarms had gone off would have caused other stampede problems. two lifts for 120 flats is simply not even enough. for a 24 story block!

So if the cause if this rapid fire spreading was due to insulating cladding, presumably to save on heating cost, or loss of heat, it would have been cheaper in the long run to have spend that money on subsidising residents with extra cost of heating . This is a clear proof of experts getting it wrong. If these materials have been approved by LA, they will have a lot to answer, possibly they could now be directly responsible for the loss of lives, blood is now on their hands!

Generally, lifts are not advised as useable fire escape routes, do the fact that there were only two should not be of concern, in this case.

£85k per flat? They could have built a house for that, and knocked the block over........

 

[Brigadier]

Zip line, rubble chute type escape (already in use on oil rigs)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escape_chute

Imagine the sheer number of people though, in a 30km tall building? Like I said, it would be a huge challenge to get (tens of thousands of?) people out.

 

[HawkEye244]

LA neglect, don't want to spend the money. 100% their responsibility and their error. Leader of K&C council should stand down ASAP.

 

[HawkEye244]

Not only that, but it now means that if any such materials and methods have been used on other towers, they will all need to be taken down and redone in more suitable materials, which means someone will have to pay for it again! higher local taxes! as these are council owned and run properties.

Apparently 80% of local taxation is spent on paying off council LOBO loans. Corruption from top to bottom.

 

[Ian H]

It's terrible, I felt sick when I saw it on the news yesterday, those poor people

£10 million spent on refurbishment is crazy.

 

[JohnD]

Apparently .

Usually signifies made-up nonsense he saw written on a wall somewhere.

 

[IWalkLikeHimaMartian]

Imagine the sheer number of people though, in a 30km tall building? Like I said, it would be a huge challenge to get (tens of thousands of?) people out.

Sure, but a heck of a lot faster, perhaps safer, than stairs, or lifts. Plus it could accommodate those not able to walk.

In 1948, the 136-bed Georgia Baptist Hospital in Atlanta featured a large fabric escape chute that was claimed to be able to empty the hospital "in only a few minutes"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escape_chute

 

[IWalkLikeHimaMartian]

My understanding is that large organisations, such as governments, LA's etc, do not have insurance because they are considered large enough to cover their own 'unforeseen' risks.
Does anyone know if this extends to organisations such as infrastructure organisation, Housing Associations, etc?
I appreciate that any finding of neglect, or lack of it, may affect any payout to those unfortunate people.

 

[Ian H]

BT don't have it on their buildings.

 

[Seafarer1966]

The reticence of the former Tory Housing Minister (now Theresa May's Chief of Staff) to act on the report raising concerns about this cladding system and fire risk is interesting. That's a jolly large contract to win cladding all those tower blocks. Palms? Grease?

 

[Deleted member 63160]

Zip line, rubble chute type escape (already in use on oil rigs)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escape_chute

That is a bloody good idea. Some sort of chute like in the old pools for kiddies. I can't understand how in this day and age the isn't some sort of appliance that could lift some sort of flexible chute up to windows/balconies.
A cloth tube pegged out at the right distance would work.
Bet half the reason that cladding was put up was to make the building look pretty for the rich luvvies that live nearbye who are now spouting off about the "sense of community" they feel.

 

[Mikefromlondon]

I saw that one night scene where every window was glowing red hot, almost unbelievable and looked like a lit lantern!