National tabloid campaign to lobby for sprinklers: at the recent LGA Annual Fire Conference CFO Peter Holland, Chair of the FOBFO Trade Committee, announced a national campaign to be spearheaded by the News of the World, that will pressurise Government into action on fire safety matters - Fire Safety Campaign

Introducing the campaign, CFO Holland referred to TV presenter Nick Ross' comments that there is not a lack of practical possibilities to reduce the incidence of fire deaths, but a shortage of political will. Mr Holland also referred to Mr Ross' target for the Service to reduce fire deaths by 40 per cent within a few years--a target that FOBFO believes is still achievable "with the correct action".

The 600 deaths each year and more than 18,000 injuries as a direct result of fire are the figures the campaign aims to reduce. Focussing in particular on the statistical evidence that shows that "most of these deaths and injuries are avoidable and most affect those who are society's most vulnerable".

CFO Holland announced that the campaign will focus on the three steps that are required to ensure FOBFO's targets are met:

* To ensure people are alerted to fire;

* To ensure the fire can be suppressed; and

* To ensure causes, especially arson, are systematically detected so they may be removed.

He identified the four key areas where action is needed as domestic fires, school fires, vehicle fires and arson. The key aspect of the campaign is the call for automatic sprinklers to be fitted in all new dwellings and during all renovations requiring building certification. CFO Holland predicted that if this principle was also applied to schools, it would "prevent much of the hundreds of millions of pounds worth of damage to more than 1,000 schools every year".

CFO Holland conceded that the requirement would have to be phased in over a period of years, and in the early years it would only affect new-build or major refurbishments, however, he identified a timetable of six progressive steps:

* In 2003 a timetable will be issued setting out projected changes to building regulations and paving the way to mandatory hard-wired automatic alarms and fire suppression systems.

* In 2004 regulations will be introduced requiring hard-wired automatic alarms to be fitted in all new and refurbished schools. As you are aware hard-wired alarms are now mandatory under Building Regulations for all new houses. For schools there is a requirement for a fire alarm, but this need not be automatic and in practice most have to be activated manually, which is little defence against arson at night.

* The building regulations will be revised to set out standards for low-cost domestic sprinklers. (This would certify the UK systems, which are already widely in use in the US.)

* In 2006 automatic fire suppression systems should be mandatory in all new and refurbished schools, and in all new or refurbished social housing. This timetable allows two to three years for specifiers and manufacturers to prepare.

* In 2008 automatic fire suppression to be mandatory in all new and refurbished private (ie not just social) housing.

* Looking to 2013, any remaining social housing and schools should be retrofitted with automatic sprinklers.

CFO Holland also announced a string of measures to combat vehicle fires, including better vehicle security, rapid removal of abandoned and vulnerable vehicles susceptible to arson and tamper-resistant automatic fire suppression equipment. To achieve these measures, there would be more publicity for a league table of cars most vulnerable to theft, and an annual award for the 'thiefs accomplice'--the manufacturer who creates the most opportunities for car crime.

Vehicle registration should be tightened up by the Department for Transport, combined with proof of current car tax and insurance to be introduced by 2005. Moreover, the campaign will call on Government to introduce a bounty to be paid to local authorities for every abandoned vehicle removed to offset costs incurred, with bounty costs recouped from car manufacturers. Moreover, Government will be called on to introduce end-of-life deposits to be paid on all new cars and reclaimable by the last owner, as envisaged by the European Union.

Moreover, the DVLA will be called upon to implement three measures:

* The DVLA must put on notice that by 2005 local authorities must be able to identify all owners of all vehicles and be able to hold them accountable for all costs incurred to public authorities because of improper use or abandonment of such vehicles.

* From 2004: local authorities should be required to remove all apparently abandoned vehicles within 12 hours of them being reported.

* From 2005: Local authorities should be given powers to recover costs from owners and all vehicles will be subject to forfeit if found to be unlicensed, uninsured or effectively abandoned.

Similarly, the vehicle manufacturers and traders are to be called upon to implement four steps:

* From 2003 vehicle fires should be placed on the agenda for European policy collaboration.

* UK vehicle traders should be given notice that Government will move towards imposing fire safety standards, unilaterally if necessary.

* UK vehicle traders should be pressured to start a pollution fund to pay bounties to local authorities when costs of removal cannot be recovered from owners.

* 2006 should be set as the nominal start-date for approved fire-suppression on all new vehicles sold in the UK, subject to industry negotiations.

The final strand of the campaign identified by CFO Holland is to focus on deliberate and malicious fire setting. In CFO Holland's words: "Arson kills around 100 people each year and is perhaps the worst detected crime in the UK." He descried the fact that there is no clear ownership of arson detection, relating the Fire Service wish to take statutory responsibility for fire investigation. However, he also noted the lack of resources or powers of the Fire Service in this respect.

The solution offered is the model of fire marshals: "Fire marshals should be appointed, resourced and tasked with a targeted reduction of arson. Only police officers have the requisite powers. Therefore police authorities should be resourced to provide an officer at inspector level, to be supported by Fire Service staff and funded to be responsible for achieving arson-reduction targets. Five trial areas should be established and an evaluation carried out in 2005."

The campaign will be the key to achieving these goals, with the News of the World poised to highlight that we in the UK have become used to two fire deaths a day, equivalent to a Ladbroke Grove rail disaster every week. Crucially, the paper will call on Government to promise the people of Britain that fire deaths will be halved.

All aspects of the campaign, and the work of the Fire Service will be covered as well as burns treatment, the fire safety contrast between Formula One and normal cars, as well as fire safety advice.

The campaign, due to begin immediately after the hostilities in Iraq have ended, will be structured around an eight-week programme. Starting from day one there will be an eight-week countdown to Government accepting the News of the World proposals. After eight weeks there will be a count-up of how many people have died because of Government complacency since the eight week deadline expired.

Supported by CACFOA, the LGA, FOBFO and fire industry bodies, the campaign will also publish a list of politicians and public figures lending their support to its aims.

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