Direct Line: (01722 69 1075) email:-
19 September 2016
Dear Sir or Madam
At the meeting of Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Authority that took place on the 14 September 2016, an urgent motion was unanimously passed for me to write to you regarding the proposed changes that are being consulted on relating to the guidance on the installation of sprinklers in schools. Specifically this relates to proposed changes to Building Bulletin (BB) 100: Design for fire safety in schools.
I have already written a letter to the Secretary of State for Education on this matter, setting out the Fire and Rescue Authority’s opposition to the proposed changes, but it was felt by Members that we should also express our concerns to you in writing on this important matter.
The current (2007) version of BB100 signposts users to a tool kit developed by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) that assesses the risk of a fire and the results of that assessment determines the level of fire protection required.
The revised draft version of BB100 focuses, quite correctly, on the safety of occupants and their safe evacuation, it would appear, however, that little cognisance is now given to the protection of the building fabric itself. Moving to ‘a life safety only approach’ is a mistake in our view.
We believe that guidance incorporating best practice for property protection is important because school buildings are funded by the taxpayer. We have strongly expressed the view to the Secretary of State that BB100 should continue to give guidance on what is necessary to protect a public asset from fire.
One of the most fundamental changes in the revised text that will negatively impact on this, is the removal of the expectation that most new school buildings should be fitted with a sprinkler system. We believe that this is wrong and the logic behind the decision flawed. The change in policy by government in 2007 to actively promote the use of sprinklers in schools followed long campaigns from a broad range of stakeholders across the fire sector. This included the Association of British Insurers, the Fire Protection Association, the Local Government Association, the Chief Fire Officers Association, the National Union of Teachers and the Fire Brigades Union. None of those organisations have altered their support for sprinklers in schools, and as far as we can ascertain, none were consulted with or asked for their advice regarding the proposed change.
There is little doubt that sprinklers, implemented within a balanced range of fire protection and fire risk management measures, are effective. The National Fire Sprinkler Network collects information on the impact of sprinklers. From their database it has been established that between 2012 and 2015 at least 16 schools have benefited from much reduced damage by fire as a direct result of automatic sprinklers being installed and, importantly, little or no disruption to the education of pupils.
We see no reason to change the current policy of a risk based approach to the installation of sprinklers in schools, as available data and professional experience suggests that this policy is currently working as intended. We would therefore urge you to actively champion and support the continued expectation that new schools should be fitted with sprinklers through the planning process.
We are genuinely concerned that watering down the existing wording, or removing the expectation altogether that sprinklers should be fitted in new schools from Building Bulletin (BB) 100, as is currently proposed, will result in few if any schools being fitted with sprinklers in the future, regardless of risk. The impact of this will undoubtedly be the loss of significantly more school buildings than is necessary and the subsequent negative impact on the education of thousands of pupils from across the country.
Yours sincerely
Rebecca Knox
Chairman Dorset Wiltshire Fire Authority