The new Fire Safety Bill for England and Wales was signed into law on 29th April 2021.
The new Fire Safety Bill (FSB) for England and Wales aims to address the multiple deficiencies of guidance and legislation thrown up by the Grenfell disaster. Although it was introduced in 2019 and has taken almost two years to pass through Parliament, many of its key provisions had already been introduced as best practice guidance. Now that it has finally become law, it is vital that we understand the content of the FSB and its long-term implications for fire manufacturers, installers and end clients.
So, what is the FSB and what does it aim to achieve? The tragic events of Grenfell showed us that the previous attempt to unify fire legislation in England and Wales, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, was no longer fit for purpose, especially in relation to high-rise residential blocks. New legislation had already been enacted in Scotland, and the UK government was keen to follow suit.
Without actually replacing it, the FSB clarifies a number of ambiguities in the 2005 law, such as whether references to external walls in the Order include “doors or windows in those walls” and “anything attached to the exterior of those walls (including balconies)”. It also dictates the specification of entrance doors of residential units that open into communal areas. The amendments contained in the FSB aim to increase enforcement action, “particularly where remediation of aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding is not taking place.”
The FSB applies retrospectively to existing apartment blocks, where it is likely that further updates will be required beyond the replacement of any defective cladding that has already been identified. This could include replacement of non-compliant doors and windows, as well as the main entrance doors to each flat, and the investigation of fireproof walls and voids to ensure that no breaches in the compartmentation have occurred.
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Media contact
Rebecca Morpeth Spayne,
Editor, International Fire Buyer
Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 922
Email: editor@firebuyer.com
