The Smoke Control Association (SCA) has welcomed a statement from a group of independent experts on building safety in medium and lower-rise blocks of flats in which they highlight “cost effective risk mitigations” such as smoke control systems.

The Expert Group is made up of individuals with broad experience in this field and includes:

• Dame Judith Hackitt, Chair of the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety
• Sir Ken Knight, Chair of the Independent Expert Advisory Panel on building safety following the Grenfell Tower Fire
• Ron Dobson, former London Fire Commissioner
• Roy Wilsher, Advisor on fire reform, former Chief Fire Officer

The experts were asked, by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, to consider issues of proportionality in relation to building safety in medium and lower-rise blocks of flats, the impact on the housing market, and what more government could do to ensure approaches that are proportionate to the level of risk.

Paragraph 3 of the ensuing statement references blocks of flats below 18m where fire safety risks are identified and states: “Adequate levels of safety can be achieved for residents by implementing cost effective risk mitigations (such as smoke and fire detectors and alarms, adequate means of escape, sprinklers and smoke control systems). Where these risk mitigations are not present, their introduction, or other cost-effective measures or enhancements, can mitigate risks identified without unnecessarily financially burdening those involved.”

David Mowatt, Chairman of the SCA, commented: “The SCA welcomes the statement from the Expert Group and fully supports the view that fire risks can be managed in medium and lower-rise flats by introducing appropriate safety measures such as smoke control systems.”

The full statement can be viewed at 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-expert-statement-on-building-safety-in-medium-and-lower-rise-block-of-flats/independent-expert-statement-in-building-safety-in-medium-and-lower-rise-blocks-of-flats