London Fire Brigade Assistant Commissioner, Dan Daly said;
“While we are supportive of a ban on combustible cladding, it’s not enough to make buildings safer.
“Banning cladding won’t make buildings safer unless you ensure that only properly qualified people can make decisions about how buildings are built and maintained. For example, you could strip a building of combustible cladding but a building owner can still make other alterations that could be just as dangerous. Only properly qualified people should be making decisions about the materials we use and changes we make to our buildings and so Government must move quickly to implement the fundamental changes to building regulations as outlined in Dame Judith Hackitt’s independent review of building regulations and fire safety.
“The London Fire Brigade has also been calling for residential tower blocks to be retrofitted with sprinklers and for sprinklers to be mandatory in all new school builds and major refurbishments. Sprinklers are the only fire safety system that detects a fire, suppresses a fire and raises the alarm. They save lives and protect property and they are especially important where there are vulnerable residents who would find it difficult to escape, like those with mobility problems”
