Following the success of 2023’s fire safety campaign, we’re back with another deep dive into the safety of high-rise residential buildings across England.
With focus still on the Grenfell Tower inquiry, and policies continuing to change, our latest research has revealed that there is still some way to go before high-rise residential buildings around the country can be deemed safe, with as many as one-third of vital details still missing.
In fact, on average, fire and rescue services in England are waiting for 32 per cent of building plans and 31 per cent of external wall plans, for high-rise buildings in their jurisdictions.
The updated regulation, Fire Safety (England) Regulation 2022, which came into force on 23 January 2023, made it a legal requirement for responsible persons of high-rise residential buildings, of 7 storeys or more, to provide local fire and rescue services with appropriate safety information, including up-to-date building and external wall plans.
Our research, thanks to a series of responses to Freedom of Information requests (FOI) made to 24 fire services around England, has worked out the percentage of building plans and external wall plans submitted by qualifying high-rises across England, against the number of high-rises in each jurisdiction.
The results
Leading the way, Staffordshire Fire & Rescue Service had the highest number of submissions for its 42 high rises, with a total of 157 per cent of up-to-date building plans and 164 per cent of up-to-date wall plans submitted.
Staffordshire beat out second-place Lancashire by an average of 41 per cent, as Lancashire Fire & Rescue received a total of 108 per cent of up-to-date building plans and 118 per cent of up-to-date wall plans.
In the middle of the table, ranking 12th, Leicestershire received a total of 55 per cent of building and 50 per cent of wall plans for its 460 high-rise residential buildings.
Comparatively, Avon Fire & Rescue Service, in South West England, ranked bottom of the table for the amount of up-to-date building plans, with just 10 per cent received for its 239 high-rises. Similarly, Bedfordshire ranked bottom for the number of up-to-date wall plans, with the Fire and Rescue service receiving just 22 per cent for the 65 high-rises in its area.
You can find below a table that demonstrates how the findings differ from region to region:
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Other findings – audits and signage
Alongside building and wall plan requirements, the ongoing inquiry revealed that a lack of signage throughout the building hindered rescue efforts. Over the last 30 years, we’ve worked closely with customers around the country to ensure that signage meets its requirements – from navigational signage to wayfinding. Take our work with GMI Construction, as an example.
While much of our work is focused on providing signage solutions, we’re also incredibly aware of compliance complexities in a number of industries. After receiving the latest findings, we also identified a number of inconsistencies among fire services across the country, in conducting audits and inspections of high-rise residential buildings.
While 50 per cent of respondents confirmed audits are carried out, the research revealed a lack of clarity regarding the frequency of the inspections. Reported timeframes varied significantly, ranging from annual assessments to every four years, with some following a risk-based approach or instead aligning with national guidance.
What does it all mean?
On the research, FASTSIGNS managing director, John Davies, said:
“The tragedy of Grenfell highlighted just how critical clear signage, proper planning and up-to-date safety measures are in ensuring control during an emergency. In the case of fire safety, certified and easily visible signage is essential for guiding both residents and emergency response teams through high-rise buildings when an incident occurs, helping to avoid confusion and save lives.
“Our latest research shows that while progress is being made, there are still some challenges to overcome. For example, on average, around a third of building plans remain incomplete and audit frequencies can be inconsistent. While it's encouraging to see increased focus on regular, defined checks before and during the construction of high-rise residential buildings, it’s equally important to ensure these checks continue throughout the building’s lifespan.
“We’re continuing to work closely with our customers across England, ensuring that buildings meet the evolving fire safety requirements to safeguard everyone involved.”
Nicola John, managing director at FDM (Fire Door Maintenance) – Training and Development, said:
“This research highlights just how much work still needs to be done to ensure our high-rise buildings are truly safe. At FDM – Training and Development, we believe safeguarding lives starts with empowering those responsible, which is why we deliver training for the industry, by the industry, across every level of the supply chain. Everyone involved, from manufacturers and installers, to responsible persons, needs the knowledge and confidence to meet their legal duties and protect the people living in these buildings.”
Research methodology:
FASTSIGNS UK contacted 37 Fire and Rescue Services in England, requesting them to submit FOI requests, for the latest data on building and external wall plans for high-rise residential buildings in their jurisdiction. The FOI also inquired about compliance with Government legislation on wayfinding signage, including who is responsible for safeguarding these requirements and what processes are in place to ensure compliance. Additionally, it asked how many high-rise residential buildings each fire and rescue service oversees.
The complete data included in the research was supplied by 23 Fire and Rescue Services. This makes up almost 50 percent of all fire and rescue services in England - omitting any services that do not have buildings with 7 plus storeys covered by the Fire Safety (England) Regulation 2022 or that are mixed use HR (high rise).
To calculate the total number of building and wall plans since January 2023, FASTSIGNS UK used FOI data from January 2023 for some fire and rescue services. Some responses were also requested from October 2023. For these, historical data was available from a similar inquiry conducted last year. By combining the October 2023, data with the January 2023 figures, FASTSIGNS UK created a total of building and wall plans from January 2023 onwards.
Please note, that one key reason why a fire and rescue service may have received more than 100 percent of the expected wall or building plans is due to various factors, such as, but not limited to, updated plans being submitted and counted as new plans, or multiple plans being recorded for the same building - each governed by the individual fire services.
It is important to acknowledge that a select number of services indicated the systems used for recording information are not standardised, nor are the procedures for data capture consistent across locations.