Sprinklers in Hotels: Critical Conversations for Fire Safety

Closer to home, many will remember the tragic fire at the Cameron House Hotel near Loch Lomond in 2017. This devastating blaze, which claimed the lives of two individuals, raised questions on the susceptibility to fire of hotels in older and historic buildings. As such, the Scottish Government held a consultation to gather views on whether hotels should be required to have sprinklers installed: a significant step towards improving safety standards in the hotel sector.

There was the fire at the Chiltern Firehouse Hotel, wherein a blaze spread from the restaurant’s pizza oven and travelled through internal vents to the roof. The fire caused extensive damage throughout the four-storey building and the evacuation of 100 guests and staff. Thankfully, the event happened during the day and there were no injuries, but this intense and destructive fire took over five hours to bring under control and required 63 fire engines, 23 special appliances and 125 firefighters from across London.

This fashionable London hotel will be closed for the foreseeable future. The episode highlights the need to carefully evaluate fire safety measures in hotels, particularly so those housed in historic buildings converted for hotel use.

Cameron House Hotel fire

Certainly a turning point for hotel fire safety in Scotland, the aforementioned Cameron House Hotel fire prompted calls for better protection for hotel guests, notably so those staying in historic properties. The Fatal Accident Inquiry following the fire recommended that the Scottish Government consider mandatory fire suppression systems, such as sprinklers, in future hotel conversions, particularly those involving historic buildings.

This recommendation gained further weight following the tragic fire at the New County Hotel in Perth, which claimed three lives in 2023. The investigation into this fire is still ongoing and we await the findings.

In all three incidents mentioned, fire sprinkler systems could have played a critical role in containing the fire and minimising damage, thereby allowing more time for guests and staff to evacuate safely.

Cost-benefit analysis

To assess the feasibility of this potential regulatory change, the Scottish Government has also conducted a cost-benefit analysis. The goal is to quantify the monetary value of the costs and benefits associated with installing sprinklers in hotels, particularly when traditional buildings are converted to hotels.

The analysis considers both the immediate costs of installation and the long-term benefits, including reduced risk to human life, minimised property damage and business continuity. Many reading the cost-benefit analysis will be surprised to see the value of a human life and injuries reduced to the monetary value of a few million pounds.

Then the question is asked as to whether the investment is worth it over a 60-year time period. However, this is how decisions are supported by Government and it means we need to look at them carefully and challenge them when they are misguided by underestimating impacts, overestimating costs or, indeed, failing to measure the community impacts of such tragic events.

Fires in hotels are still occurring on a regular basis. Statistics reveal that, on average, there have been over 400 fires per year at hotels across Britain in the last five years. When you consider that the total number of hotels in Britain is circa 9,500, a fire every day across that population is worth noting.

Clearly, the risk is ongoing and cannot be ignored. Despite recent regulatory changes related to buildings where people sleep, many commentators are surprised that sprinklers are not the norm in hotels. In fact, finding a hotel with sprinklers is not always easy as this crucial safety information is rarely included in the typical hotel search engine.

Challenging strategies

Fire strategies for hotels can be very challenging. Hotels play host to large numbers of people, often at night when they’re sleeping and less likely to be alert to potential dangers.

While hotels are required to comply with fire safety regulations, sprinklers are not always mandated, especially so in lower-rise buildings. As recent hotel fires have demonstrated, this can be a dangerous oversight.

Remote locations can exacerbate the problem even further, with the Fire and Rescue Service not always able to be on-site in a short time period. The fire that killed 78 people at a Turkish ski resort in January was 40 minutes from the nearest Fire Station. Had the building been equipped with sprinklers, as required by local regulations, the outcome would likely have been very different.

The benefits of fire sprinklers are undeniable. They can keep a fire contained to a limited area, significantly reducing the time it takes for the Fire and Rescue Service to respond and minimise the overall damage.

When you consider all of the elements that can contribute towards a fire in a hotel, from cooking equipment and electrical systems through to laundry services, fire sprinklers are a proven, yet underused tool offering the best form of all-round protection.

With the Scottish Government now taking steps to assess the necessity of sprinklers in hotels, we must all advocate for a future wherein fire suppression systems are the standard for protecting hotel guests. After all, our comfort and safety during a hotel stay should never be taken for granted.

Thomas Roche is Secretary of the Business Sprinkler Alliance

(www.business-sprinkler-alliance.org)