Itās the obvious outcome of the(quite literal) ābonfire of regulationsā party.
The fire brigade are only at fault for not arguing for the pittance saved to be invested in equipment that could fight the obvious outcome of the saving.
And thatās the reality of how far you can blame the fire brigade.
What a bunch of shit we have leading us.
Edit: Who slashed the London fire brigade to the point of being ineffective?
I saw a summary of the BRE report in 2018 which must have been a precis of the one referred to in the link. Having worked with cladding systems in the past, provided they are installed correctly, then they should be suitable for a number of applications and it is not unreasonable to think that a cladding system would have been suitable here too, provided that the correct system was specified and installed, inspected and signed off as being compliant to manufacturers guidance and best practiceā¦
Itās important not to predict the outcome of the next reports from the inquiry, but from the summary i saw, pointed very clearly to the inadequate cavity fire seals (essentially causing a plenum behind the cladding facade), poor and inadequate fire protection between window and column interface, flammable insulation (but most of it is) and no door closers on front doors which would have contained the fire for slightly longer whilst people tried to escape.
One thing is for sure, I wouldnāt like to be any of the site team or directors from Rydonās or anyone from Building Control, who are responsible for ensuring the building is compliant with B Regās.
Our insurance broker is quite up on this as heās been dealing with potential PI claims for replacement works. One of the reasons why cladding replacement has been slow is that the insurance market has been very difficult to deal with recently. Iām seeing him soon, so it will be interesting to get an update.
The block next door are getting their cladding ripped off and new cladding put up. Our block. Built exactly the same will not. I reckon we would probably be ok but who knows. Our freeholder is unlikely to pay for it to be re-done. Theyāre too busy sorting out the 4 new flats theyāll put on the roof.
The blame is going to get more specifically targeted as this goes on, but it is already looking a lot more encouraging than the disgraceful attempt to throw the Fire Brigade under the bus. If theyād known that the usual rules of containment to one unit did not apply, the crew that originally attended would have stayed longer.
They did not, because no-one told them, and no-one was going to.
The broader problem is market forces supplying social needs. The bosses of these companies would never accept these standards for themselves or their families, but are prepared to cut corners to chase the bottom line.
What is particularly galling about the Grenfell situation is that the cladding was apparently put up at the behest of the wealthier citizens of the borough who didnāt want a smog-covered tower block ruining the view from their multi-million quid mansions and townhouses.
Several employees and ex-employees from contractors Rydon, Harley Facades and the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation are among those who have made the request for immunity to give them āfreedom to tell the truthā.
As opposed to just telling the truth in the first place?
Was listening to Novara Media last night. According to Michael Walker, the host, there are still hundreds of buildings around the UK still clad in the same stuff as Grenfell.
