How we've improved our fire safety in council houses and high rise blocks.
What we've done since 2011
We've spent £2.5 million every year since 2011 to make fire safety improvements to our blocks.
We've:
- fitted a domestic smoke detector on each level of every home
- replaced any broken, damaged or faulty smoke detectors
- divided our high rise blocks using new fire doors and other measures: this will help to prevent fire spreading from one flat to another
- fitted fire doors with seals to plug any gaps that the fire or smoke could travel between
- put sprinklers in the bin rooms of high rise blocks
- used fire retardant paint when we redecorate communal areas
- put mobility scooter storage in some blocks
Our fire safety floor plans and escape plans are in the main foyer of our blocks and have been given to Avon Fire Service so they know the floor plans of our buildings.
What we've done since Grenfell
After the fire at Grenfell the Mayor and Avon Fire and Rescue Service (AFRS) reassured residents that no council flats in Bristol used the same cladding system as Grenfell.
Since then we've:
- visited all our high rise blocks with fire crews from AFRS
- carried out assessments of our block cladding and fire safety measures, inspected communal areas and started repairs programmes where needed
Work with Avon Fire and Rescue (AFRS)
We've worked with Avon Fire and Rescue (AFRS) to:
- make sure they have all the information they need in case a fire starts in one of our buildings
- help us agree our planned work and policies relating to fire safety
Sprinklers in buildings
We're looking into putting sprinklers in our high rise blocks. We'll make a final decision about this later in the year.