Work completed on Tamworth sprinkler installation

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service worked in partnership with Tamworth Borough Council as part of the Service’s Community Sprinkler Project to improve the safety of the seven high rise blocks within the area.

The retrofitting process began in March 2019 after extensive planning with the council and the residents within the blocks. The project cost £1.6million and ensures that if a fire was to start in one of the flats it would be suppressed within seconds by the new system.

Chief fire officer Becci Bryant said: “We are extremely delighted to see another phase of the Community Sprinkler Project completed. Our aim at SFRS was to have sprinklers retrofitted in all residential buildings of five floors or more by 2026 and we are well on our way to achieving that goal with installations having been completed in 12 blocks in the county. There are also discussions and commitment from other housing providers and associations throughout Staffordshire to have these systems installed in a further 22 blocks. We are therefore very hopeful that we will achieve our aim ahead of schedule.

“It is thanks to the fantastic partnership working with contractors, the residents and Tamworth Borough Council that we have been able to successfully complete this phase of the project. Hundreds of people in the town will be safer in their homes if a fire was to break out.

“Having a sprinkler system is like having a firefighter right there in your home, supressing a fire as soon as it starts. This also makes it safer for our crews to go into a building to help those in need if an incident occurs.”