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The hidden role of fire safety information management
15th January 2025
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As damning as some of the individual testimony was in the Grenfell Tower inquiry, the most significant evidence was of dangerously opaque processes. Emails and other records reflected a culture of poor communication, and a lack of care or accountability in the contracting process, leading multiple people to ignore or miss the dangers of the cladding product chosen for the tower.
A pivotal outcome of this introspection is the introduction of BS 8644-1:2022, a code of practice that outlines comprehensive guidelines for the digital management of fire safety information. This standard mandates a structured approach to managing fire safety data throughout a building’s life cycle, from design and construction to ongoing maintenance and eventual demolition – a change that could save countless lives.
A catalyst for change
We’ve talked at great length in the past about the Grenfell Tower fire, but its shockwaves continue to be felt through the construction and fire safety industries. The tragic event exposed grave failings in fire safety regulations and practices, falling in two main areas: fire regulations as they applied to high rise buildings, and how safety rules are applied when contracting and subcontracting building work.
In the aftermath of the fire, a public inquiry was launched to investigate the causes of the disaster, and make recommendations to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future. The Grenfell Tower Inquiry, led by Sir Martin Moore-Bick, was the most extensive and costly public inquiry in British history. Though the inquiry itself has now finished, the final report is still yet to be released, with delays pinned on the process of contacting those who will be blamed in the report.
The testimony involved in the inquiry revealed a litany of failures that contributed to the fire’s catastrophic outcome. These included:
- The use of non-compliant cladding: The external cladding installed on Grenfell Tower, which was intended to improve the appearance of the Brutalist concrete structure, proved to be highly flammable. This cladding was crucial in the spread of the fire beyond its point of origin, bypassing and invalidating the building’s other safety features. This cladding turned out to be widely used on similar buildings around the country, despite its clear contravention of existing fire safety laws.
- Inadequate fire safety checks: The inquiry found that fire safety checks and inspections were not carried out properly, allowing the use of non-compliant materials to go undetected. Issues such as poor maintenance and obstructions in the tower were reported by residents prior to the fire, with no action apparently being taken. There was also widespread criticism of the design and maintenance of such high rise tower blocks, with only a single point of egress, and no mandate for common fire suppression systems such as sprinklers.
- Lack of accountability: The inquiry showed that there was a clear lack of accountability among the various parties involved in the process of maintaining and refitting Grenfell Tower. This meant that no one individual or organisation felt responsible for ensuring that the building met fire safety standards, with the result that nobody took responsibility.
The Grenfell Tower Inquiry concluded that the fire was “avoidable”, and that “multiple failures” by a number of companies and individuals contributed to the tragedy. The inquiry also found that the use of non-compliant cladding was a major factor in the fire’s rapid spread – something that was immediately evident from the reactions of firefighters, and the failure of the initial advice to ‘shelter in place’ under such unique conditions.
The revelations of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry have already had a profound impact on the construction industry. Changes have been made to fire safety regulations and practices, and there is a renewed focus on accountability and ensuring that buildings are designed and constructed to meet the highest fire safety standards. Perhaps the biggest change in this regard is the introduction of BS 8644-1:2022, and the role it may play in preventing similar tragedies from occurring in the future.
The introduction of BS 8644-1:2022
BS 8644-1:2022 aims to solve perhaps the most glaring and previously unaddressed aspect of the Grenfell Tower disaster: transparency in the building process. It establishes a framework for the creation, storage, and communication of fire safety information, emphasising the importance of a ‘golden thread’ of fire safety data. By recording fire safety information throughout the life cycle of a building, the standard aims to ensure that essential information is readily available to all relevant stakeholders at each stage of the process.
This improvementl of fire safety information management is crucial for a myriad of reasons. For one, accurate and accessible fire safety information empowers building owners, managers, and fire brigades to make better-informed decisions about fire safety measures, including things like maintenance schedules and emergency response plans. Had such information been available for Grenfell Tower, inspections and maintenance may have been carried out more quickly, rectifying other issues and potentially spotting the problematic cladding.
A clear record of fire safety information also promotes accountability among all parties involved in the design, construction, and operation of a building. This was crucial in the case of Grenfell, where testimony and emails appear to show that the potential dangers of the cladding were identified or discussed by some people involved in the process, but that these issues were not widely shared or actions between all relevant parties.
Fundamentally, more efficiently managed fire safety information helps to identify and mitigate potential fire hazards. While cladding is an extreme example, there are many potential hazards and protections in any building that need to be addressed and maintained respectively. With a more complete and holistic picture of fire safety information and past actions, it becomes easier to address issues and plan for the future, reducing the overall risk of a fire.
The role of passive fire protection
Passive fire protection is a simple measure that provides certainty and longevity, with protection woven or retrofitted into a building that will persist among even extreme conditions, and provide protection to key areas such as egress routes. As the fire safety process is better documented – and greater attention and seriousness is given to fire safety in all buildings, not just major and prestigious ones – it’s likely to be an increasingly important part of building fire safety.
Part of the problem with Grenfell and other towers like it was that the cheapest solution was sought to save taxpayer money. This is the wrong attitude to safety, and not something transparency will fix by itself. The hope is that shining a light on the planning and processes involved in construction and renovation will make it easier to comply with the law, and dissuade people from trying to cut corners in the name of costs.
Passive fire protection such as fire doors, barriers for routes of egress, and ceilings could be used to better compartmentalise fires, and help to secure escape routes where it becomes obvious that a ‘shelter in place policy isn’t tenable. Active fire protection measures such as sprinklers, more effective alarm systems, and emergency lighting could also have a demonstrable effect on fire safety, particularly in buildings such as highrises where fire safety is inherently compromised by a lack of fire escapes and the height of the structure.
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The introduction of BS 8644-1:2022 should mark a significant step forward in fire safety management. By emphasising the importance of digital information management, this code of practice has the potential to revolutionise the way we approach fire safety throughout the life cycle of buildings. It only stands for all contractors and related parties to take it seriously – adopting its principles to document and scrutinise fire safety, rather than reluctantly adhering to it.
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