AS WE continue to step into the New Year, and reflect on fire incidents from 2024, one key question immediately springs to mind: ‘How long does it truly take to recover from and then rebuild after a devastating fire? The lingering scars of fire disasters across the UK remind us all of the enduring challenges involved in recovery and reconstruction, writes Tom Roche.

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2024, STATES Philip White, marked the shift from groundwork to meaningful action. There has been a demonstration of what’s possible when unity develops behind a shared goal, but that’s just the beginning. The long-term journey is all about building and managing a safer and more accountable built environment for everyone.

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AS MANY sector commentators continue to reflect on the Grenfell Tower Inquiry and its recommendations, it’s important to recognise that the issues brought to light extend far beyond high-rise residential buildings. The challenges highlighted by this tragedy, asserts Thomas Roche, and highlighted in the Phase 2 final report are not confined to one type of building or one type of issue. Rather, they permeate across the entire built environment.

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IN ORDER to achieve the United Nations’ stated goal of ‘Net Zero’ carbon emissions by 2040, significant changes must be made, and particularly so in the construction sector. As the global population continues to grow, streamlining the construction industry becomes increasingly essential, emphasising the need to adopt more sustainable practices, as Ramtech Electronics reports.

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THE SEVENTH anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire occurred on 14 June. In the time since that tragedy, we’ve focused on themes including the importance of responsibility and cultural change within the construction industry. While challenges remain within the built environment, many positive changes are taking place. Here, Craig Wells highlights the improvements being made.

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LATE LAST year, London Build Expo ran at London’s Olympia. As part of the conference programme for The Fire Safety Stage, a Quelfire-sponsored panel discussion involving selected professionals took place on 16 November from 11.00 am-11.50 am. The core subject up for debate? Standardising processes when it comes to firestopping. Fire Safety Matters reports on the key points that emerged.

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THE FIRE at the Beechmere Retirement Village in Crewe was one of the biggest incidents attended by the Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service, writes Tom Roche. Occupied by elderly people, many of whom needed assistance, the facility was located in an unsprinklered building that was vulnerable to fire damage.

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2024 WILL witness a period of significant change for the construction industry as a whole, with a particularly keen focus placed on fire safety issues (including the provision of passive fire protection). Here, Christophe Bind looks ahead to what’s in store in the New Year.

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THROUGHOUT 2022, as Tony Boyle observes, many notable topics came to the fore within social housing, but have we lost sight of one of the basics when it comes to not only compliance, but also improving the safety of others? Moving into 2023, it’s crucial to recognise and respect the fundamentals regarding safety within the residential environment.

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OVER THE last decade, carbon monoxide poisoning has caused an average of 162 deaths yearly in the UK. That’s equivalent to one life being lost every few days. Here, Ian Ballinger shares some expert insight on achieving carbon monoxide compliance and future-proofing properties.

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ON TUESDAY 29 March at 10.30 am, Fire Safety Matters hosted another webinar in its ongoing CPD series. The focus on this occasion was ‘Flexible Evacuation Solutions to Meet BS 8629’. Brian Sims reviews what was said on the day by subject matter experts from webinar sponsor Advanced and Veritas Fire Support Services.

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THE SUBJECT of competency in relation to fire safety was brought to the fore in the wake of Grenfell Tower and Dame Judith Hackitt’s Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety. Here, Justin Maltby-Smith discusses the importance of confirming competency and individuals’ responsibilities within the ‘golden thread’ of fire safety.

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IN ITS role as the UK’s national standards body, the British Standards Institution recently published a new Code of Practice for the fire risk appraisal of external wall construction and cladding of existing multi-storey and multi-occupied residential buildings. Mike Fox examines why the publication of PAS 9980:2022 could be the moment when the Government finally abandoned short-termism in its post-Grenfell approach to legislation and regulation and began to focus instead on long-term outcomes.

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SINCE THE beginning of the year, there has been a raft of new announcements from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on the subject of building safety and, of course, the cladding crisis. Niall Rowan discusses their implications for the construction industry.

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THE ELECTRICAL Contractors’ Association (ECA) and the Fire and Security Association welcome the Building Safety Bill, but the industry should grasp the opportunity to raise training and electrical safety standards, writes Mike Smith.

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IN JUNE 2017, the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower, a block of flats in West London, claimed the lives of 72 people. In the aftermath of the episode, questions were asked about the safety and security of high-rise buildings, writes Michael Knibbs.

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Peter Baker is at the very forefront of establishing the new Building Safety Regulator within the Health and Safety Executive and leading on the delivery of a stronger and more robust safety regime for higher risk residential developments. Brian Sims unearths more of the underpinning detail in conversation with the newly appointed Chief Inspector of Buildings

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FOUR YEARS on from the Grenfell Tower disaster we mourn those who died, writes Reece Goodman, but also take stock of what has happened since then.

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In view of evidence heard at the ongoing Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry, the Government’s White Paper on social housing and the draft Building Safety Bill, there has arguably never been a more intense focus on improving fire prevention and response infrastructures for social housing. James King and Nick Rutter evaluate the role to be played by connected technology

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WITH NEW fire safety legislation demanding a renewed focus on safety in all residential settings, Karen Trigg explains why care home and sheltered housing associations must absolutely prioritise the maintenance of fire doors.

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