A row has developed over a chief fire officer’s comments on the absence of sprinkler protection for a new GB pound 30 million school in Gloucestershire.
The Gloucestershire Gazette originally reported that Terry Standing, chief fire officer of Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue, had criticised the county council’s decision to rebuild Rednock School without sprinklers. Among the comments made, the Gazette quotes Mr Standing as saying:
“A sprinkler system is a significant investment for the county, but we have to ask what is the potential of a fire or arson at the school? We know that schools are prone to burning down, history tells us that.
“Our risk assessment would be to put sprinklers into the school, but this is clearly a debate we need to have with the developers and one we will have. But I cannot make people put sprinklers into buildings, I can only give advice.”
But Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue claims the Gazette report only quoted selectively from Mr Standing’s comments, which came at the end of a town council meeting about the fire and rescue service’s response to last summer’s floods. In a statement issued after the story appeared, Mr Standing sought to clarify a number of points. He said:
“I have never condemned Gloucestershire County Council’s [GCC] decision not to put sprinklers in the new Rednock School. In fact, GCC has had in place since 2004, a risk assessment procedure for all new schools builds, something which is not required and is reflective of being a four-star, excellent council.
“It is unfortunate to compare the Warwickshire warehouse fire, where four firefighters lost their lives, to the situation at Rednock. Clearly a warehouse is a totally different building to a school and has no bearing on any risk assessment carried out on school buildings.
“I am satisfied that GCC has a process a place that does assess the need for any fire safety measures, such as sprinklers, to be installed in future GCC buildings.
“With regard to firefighters being put at risk, I would also like to stress that before firefighters are sent into any hazardous situation, a thorough risk assessment is carried out which results in the appropriate action being taken and every precaution is taken to ensure their safety. [Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue] is proud of its firefighters’ safety record and the skills and competence of its staff.”
Andrew Jarvis, head of corporate building services at the county council added: “The safety of children is our highest priority and the fire protection system and means of escape are designed to that end. We have talked to the fire service and taken advice from internationally known experts to make sure all the measures incorporated in the design fully meet all relevant building regulations, and most important of all, ensure the school is safe.
“Gloucestershire County Council has used independent consultants, following criteria laid down by the Government, to assess the potential risks at Rednock, and their detailed risk assessment concluded that sufficient measures could be included within the building design to minimise the risk and impact of fire, without the need for a sprinkler system”.
Construction of the new school for 1,450 students started in November 2007 and is due for completion in September 2009.
