Wales Leads The Way With Sprinklers

[mikey4444]

Grenfell Tower fire: Sprinkler concern for Cardiff council

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-40328620

Nice to see that my home town of Swansea is already protected in its 11 high rises. I have at least 3 friends who can now sleep easier in their beds.

[youngmafbog]

Sprinklers are not the only answer, in fact one wonders if it would have put out the fire at Grenfell Tower given the fire appeared to spread on the outside.

Still a step in the right direction. Do they have a linked fire alarm system and good emergency escape routes?

[Buenchico]

"Wales Leads The Way With Sprinklers" . . .

. . . except, of course, that they've been compulsory in new high-rise building in England since 2007 but Wales didn't introduce a similar ruling until 9 years later!

[mikey4444]

Not sure YMB, but the link says that they do have alarm systems.

As regards the sprinklers, it has been said a few times over the last few days, that no lives have been lost in Britain, where fires have occurred in buildings where sprinklers had been fitted.

[youngmafbog]

Better late than never though. I doubt Wales has a huge number of high rises anyway.

[Gromit]

// Wales leads the way //

Except if you live in Cardiff where their 9 high rises seemingly do not have sprinklers because they are now talking about them.

// now discuss the need for sprinklers" in its nine high rises with the fire service. //

[douglas9401]

Many English holiday home owners would have been glad of the protection a few years ago.

[youngmafbog]

I'm aware of that Mickey, but then we have not had a "Grenfell Tower" before.

All that annoys me with these things is the media and oftern the authorities latch on to one thing as if it was the holy grail whereas the truth is it is often a combination of things. I prefer to step back and get the full answer then plan on that. Probably to do with the job I have always had in IT, you never just latch onto one thread and always keep an open mind.

[youngmafbog]

Welsh terrorists Dougie. Got to barbie that sheep somehow to get rid of the evidence.

[AB Editor]

youngmafbog - I agree. It might not be as simple as many seem to want it to be.

I don't really have an opinion on the fire as I don't really know enough about it.

I would like to hear from someone "in the business" about what they think would be the best course of action in the future, based on the factors that have already been suggested as causes.

I am glad your friends are safe Mikey.

[mikey4444]

Its true that we haven't had a tower block fire on the same scale as Grenfell before, but something similar happened in Southwark :::

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/feb/24/southwark-council-admits-safety-failings-tower-block-lakanal-house-blaze

External cladding was a factor in that fire as well.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakanal_House_fire

[mikey4444]

Thanks Ed. My Dad lived in something similar, until he passed away in 1999. He loved living there, as he made some wonderful friends on his floor.

But common sense would suggest that you are safer in a building with sprinklers, than in a building without, no matter how the fire started.

[EDDIE51]

Well done Wales !
But as I see it the problem is that storing sufficient water to operate an effective and powerful sprinkler system in a tower block needs a huge water tank on the roof with powerful backed up pumps to supply the sprinklers.
A block such as the one that caught fire would need several 100 tonnes of water stored in a roof tank . The structure of such blocks is not designed to take such an extra load!
It is not feasible to use direct mains water as supply can not be guaranteed and mains water would need to be pumped up to supply the upper stories. That already happens for the tap supply but a sprinkler system needs a supply with a far higher capacity!

[mikey4444]

Eddie ...very interesting, so from what you are saying, Grenfell Tower was not really suitable for sprinklers, leaving an even bigger reason not to clad it in inflammable panels !

[EDDIE51]

^ You have got it in one mikey!

[mikey4444]

Eddie....I rather thought I had !

[ToraToraTora]

Little bit shocked you are playing politics with this mikey. I assume you'll comitt ari kari when I find a welsh tower block without sprinklers. I believe it became compulsory in 2015.Do you think there are buildings built before that without sprinklers?

[mikey4444]

TTT....not playing Politics at all, just proud that Wales appears to be bright-eyed and bushy tailed about this business. I am sure that other areas of the country are acting in a similar manner.

I don't know anything more about the situation in Wales, other than what is contained in the link.

[Khandro]

If I lived in a high-rise flat I would have a parachute made of flame-proof material by the window. Having seen the ferocity of those flames, I would have more faith in that than a sprinkler

[ToraToraTora]

they have been compulsory in new builds in England since 2005 so why is Wales a decade adrift?

[jno]

not made retrospective, though, which appears to have been the problem in England too.

In passing, I see today's attacker came from Cardiff.