|
PROTECTING THE vulnerable – the main theme of this month’s edition – has always been an obvious priority for fire safety professionals, but in recent years it has gained in prominence through, for example, targeted home fire risk checks by the fire and rescue service, and the growing use of life safety fire engineering designs for complex residential and healthcare buildings.
Despite significant reductions in the number of fire-related deaths and injuries, especially in domestic premises, there is a continuing need for improved measures and initiatives to safeguard occupants who are particularly vulnerable in the event of fire – such as patients in healthcare facilities, and elderly, young and mobility impaired residents in dwellings.
This has been underlined all too clearly in the last few weeks by three multi-fatality fires worldwide – at the Lakanal House tower block in London, a care home near Melle in Belgium, and a 10-storey apartment block in Paris (all reported in this month’s news pages). Tragedies like these may be rare, but they serve to keep us striving for ever-higher standards of safety in our communities.
The specific risks in hospitals and other healthcare buildings – outlined in this edition – highlight some of the key issues, particularly in terms of emergency evacuation. There may be large numbers of patients who are heavily reliant on staff for their mobility in negotiating escape routes, or very highly-dependent patients who constantly need electrical or mechanical equipment for their survival. As a result, the fire safety design of such buildings should seek to maximise the protection to patients and allow for extended pre-movement and travel times.
In addition, the demands of modern hospitals means they are often multi-storey buildings with complex layouts, and featuring open communal spaces, such as atria, to provide a better environment for patients, visitors and staff. As articles here explain, fire engineered solutions are often required to ensure effective and functional designs that meet the necessary fire and life safety criteria.
Recent years have also seen much attention given to so-called ‘at-risk’ groups in communities, particularly the elderly and those in socially deprived areas, who are particularly difficult to reach with safety messages and advice.
In the UK, the fire service’s statutory role to carry out fire prevention based community safety work and the national programme of home fire risk checks have been remarkably successful – although how these activities are managed and coordinated remains a fertile area of debate.
Indeed, as research summarised this month argues, the fire and rescue community could further enhance its community engagement work by, for example, introducing a national package for personnel, better sharing of information between fire services and partners, and better data collection and analysis to determine the effectiveness of activities.
|