Fire and rescue services join forces to improve fire safety in high-rise buildings

Over the past 12 months fire safety teams across the North West have worked with councils, housing associations and managing agents to support compliance with the new laws and keep residents safe.

This has included sharing information through online events, distributing leaflets to residents and producing guidance to support fault reporting.

In Greater Manchester, there are more than 650 high-rise residential buildings with many more under construction and proposed. As well as providing support to residents and those responsible for fire safety in high-rise buildings, GMFRS runs regular large-scale training exercises to ensure that firefighters are adequately prepared to respond to high-rise incidents.

GMFRS Director of Prevention and Protection, Carlos Meakin, said: “Since the fire at Grenfell Tower in 2017 more than 200 blocks of flats have needed to change their evacuation strategy because of serious fire safety concerns. This causes worry for residents and we recognise the importance of providing up-to-date information and advice about what to do in the event of a fire whilst these issues are being addressed with those responsible for the building’s safety. The new resources will also help us support those responsible for fire safety in high-rise buildings to comply with the new legislation.

“By taking a regional approach to high-rise building safety, we can ensure that our messages are consistent, and those responsible for a building’s safety, are receiving clear information on how to stay safe.”

Deputy Mayor for Policing, Crime, Criminal Justice and Fire, Kate Green, said: “Greater Manchester has a number of high-rise residential buildings with that number constantly growing. It is incredibly important that people living in blocks of flats across our region are confident that they are safe and it is positive to see proactive work being done by Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, and other fire and rescue services across the wider region, to ensure this.”

To further support the safety of residents living in blocks of flats across the region, new video resources have been made available on the websites of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services.