Hyfire issues update focused on Interim Measures Alarm Fund

Following the tragedy at Grenfell Tower, Government funding of over £50 million was put in place to ensure that high-rise buildings benefit from the most advanced level of fire protection. Post-Grenfell, many practitioners opted for Waking Watch (ie qualified fire marshals patrolling given buildings on a 24/7 basis). However, this has proven to be not only expensive, but also fallible. A Waking Watch attendant hired as part of a £500,000 contract was reportedly found ‘hiding’ in a cupboard instead of patrolling a block of flats in Plymouth.

As such, the Government then created a Waking Watch Relief Fund aimed at providing high-rise buildings (ie those over 17.7 metres in height) with the means to upgrade fire systems without resorting to Waking Watch. The Waking Watch Relief Fund ran until March this year, but the positive news is that it’s not too late to ensure a building’s safety.

Interim Measures Alarm Fund

The Interim Measures Alarm Fund (IMAF) was introduced in April to support buildings unable to benefit from the Waking Watch Relief Fund. The IMAF aims to improve resident safety while remediation or long-term mitigation works are being carried out, ensuring that buildings remain occupied where it’s safe and appropriate to do so.

Any proposed alarm system must meet the required standards, while all associated costs must be reasonable. Applicants are required to provide a quotation from an alarm installation company that’s a member of the IMAF-approved panel. All submitted quotations are then carefully reviewed by Homes England (which is managing and delivering the IMAF) against programme benchmark costs.

Common fire alarm system

Hyfire’s Taurus Wireless System qualifies as a common fire alarm system and meets the requirements of BS 5839-1 Category L5. As such, it falls within the scope of the relevant funding provisions.

Within each flat, the system should typically incorporate heat detectors in any room that has a window overlooking an area or external wall where there’s a potential risk of fire spreading to external combustible cladding.

Additionally, heat detectors should be installed in other areas where fire spread may pose a risk, including plant rooms and ancillary spaces. This is particularly important where such areas contain windows, vents or penetrations not fire-stopped through which a fire could propagate and ignite surrounding materials.

The system is designed to provide building-wide alerts when required, ensuring that fire detection is focused on higher-risk locations, while supporting the safe and timely evacuation of all occupants.

Eligibility for funding

To be eligible for funding, buildings must not have received support through any previous schemes. Applications to the IMAF are only eligible where the building has not received funding and there is no pending application submitted under either the Interim Measures Alarm Fund or the Waking Watch Replacement Fund 2022 and 2023.

Applications may be submitted by either private or social sector applicants. To apply for the IMAF, the applicant must be either a ‘Responsible Entity’ or a ‘Responsible Person’ or otherwise an authorised representative acting on behalf of a ‘Responsible Entity’.

Further, the building must be used for residential or student accommodation purposes and must have supporting technical documentation, such as a fire risk appraisal of external walls or a fire risk assessment identifying the need for an interim measures alarm system.

*Further information is available online at www.hyfirewireless.com