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Business Sprinkler Alliance welcomes safety updates for new care homes
02 December 2024
THE BUSINESS Sprinkler Alliance has welcomed the recent announcements in England and Northern Ireland regarding updates to the Building Regulations Approved Document B and Technical Booklet E, which now guides the installation of sprinkler systems in new care homes.

Photograph: Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service
While the changes are a positive step, according to the Business Sprinkler Alliance they don’t go far enough in terms of protecting all vulnerable individuals in existing care homes and also other types of specialised housing.
In the statement from England, the (then) building safety minister Rushanara Ali MP emphasised that “a compassionate society protects its most vulnerable”. That view emerged in the wake of the comment made by Grenfell Tower Inquiry Panel chair Sir Martin Moore-Bick who said the definition of a higher-risk building should be reviewed and not be based on building height rather than the presence of vulnerable people.
The Business Sprinkler Alliance agrees with this sentiment, but contends that the revision to the guidance to include new care homes falls short of fully embracing this principle.
Significant gap
Tom Roche, secretary of the Business Sprinkler Alliance, stated: “While we welcome the inclusion of sprinklers in new care homes, we must recognise that this regulatory change leaves a significant gap in terms of protection for other vulnerable individuals. The new changes do not apply to existing care homes, nor do they cover assisted living accommodation or other buildings housing vulnerable individuals.”
The devastating fire at the Beechmere Retirement Village in Crewe (pictured) back in 2019 was a startling example of the risks faced by vulnerable residents in buildings not classified as care homes. “Beechmere was an extra care living accommodation, not technically a care home, yet it housed elderly individuals, many of whom required assistance,” asserted Roche. “The unsprinklered and timber-framed building was completely destroyed by fire, highlighting the urgent need for comprehensive fire safety measures in all types of accommodation for vulnerable people.”
The Business Sprinkler Alliance emphasises that the current situation creates an inconsistency whereby people with similar risk characteristics to those in care homes receive differing levels of fire safety provisions. This discrepancy is particularly concerning given the growing popularity of assisted living and retirement village concepts.
“We’ve observed that, following serious incidents like the Beechmere fire, operators often take retroactive measures, such as retrofitting sprinklers in similar extra care facilities. However, we believe it’s crucial to implement these life-saving systems proactively, rather than on a reactive basis.”
Expanding the scope
The Business Sprinkler Alliance is supporting calls on the Government to expand the scope of the new revised guidance and to go further to include all forms of accommodation housing vulnerable individuals, among them assisted living facilities, retirement villages and specialised housing.
The risk of fire is not confined to certain height thresholds or because we use different terms for similar premises. The Alliance argues that this expansion would truly embody the compassionate society that former building safety minister Ali envisions.
“Sprinkler systems not only control or extinguish fires quickly, in turn minimising damage and fire spread, but they also provide crucial additional time for residents to evacuate or be helped to evacuate, which is really important for those with mobility issues,” added Roche. “Further, these systems offer peace of mind for residents, staff and families, knowing that extra safety measures are in place.”
As the construction industry and care sector continue to evolve, the Business Sprinkler Alliance urges policymakers to close this protective gap, ensuring that all vulnerable individuals – regardless of their specific living arrangements – benefit from the highest standards of fire safety.
The Business Sprinkler Alliance believes that sprinkler systems should be considered more readily as a viable option right across the built environment, whether the location is a hospital, school, a retail or leisure facility or a commercial/industrial building.
*Further information about the Business Sprinkler Alliance is available online at www.business-sprinkler-alliance.org
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