England Hits All-Time Record Safety Checks Low

With a striking 43% drop since 2010-11, the Fire Rescue Services in the United Kingdom have completed the lowest ever number of checks, resulting in 48,400 audits last year.

Fire services conducting safety checks, also known as audits, is a fundamental part of ensuring that community buildings and residential properties which include shared areas like apartments, are aligned with current safety legislation and regulations. However, the most up-to-date data reveals that recent audits have been carried out significantly fewer times than in previous years.

Fire Safety Checks

For example, Dorset and Wiltshire firefighters executed approximately 1,000 fewer checks on community constructions in 2019 compared with 2010.

Furthermore, data from the Home Office displays that Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service executed 427 fire safety checks on buildings in 2019-20. The total inspections documented in the year 2010-11 included 1,133 more safety checks.

Additionally, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service concluded 1,418 fire safety audits within the same time period. Again, this is the lowest amount of inspections since records began being compared in 2010-11.

Grenfell Tower

Fire Brigades Union general secretary Matt Wrack states the Grenfell Tower fire was an event that portrayed the “shameful state of building safety across the UK.” He continues by commenting on the building safety crisis being “beyond all current comprehension,” much more troublesome than it appears to the public, and that firefighters are required to play a central role in handling it.

Wrack also states the union is supportive of the Government’s new bills on fire and building safety, with the aim of enhancing the prevention and protection completed by firefighters. However he also claims that in order for this to be effective, the units handling fire and rescue must be funded properly.

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