NonRegulatory Routes Sprinklers

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Non-Regulatory Routes - Sprinklers

• Mike Larking
• Fire and Resilience Directorate
• Communities and Local Government

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Non-Regulatory Routes - Sprinklers

• SPRINKLERS RESEARCH PROGRAMME
• Low-cost sprinklers
• Cost benefit of sprinklers in areas of new homes
• Cost effectiveness of sprinklers in high risk
  buildings

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Non-Regulatory Routes - Sprinklers

• SPRINKLERS POLICY POSITION
• Governments primary interest in fire is to
  ensure life safety.
• This is the focus of the Fire Safety Order and
  the Building Regulations.
• There is no suggestion by carrying out this work
  that Government would regulate for the
  installation of sprinklers in new or existing
  properties.
• These studies are about exploring the
  possibilities by providing the evidence base on
  which interested parties and decision makers can
  make economically sound decisions.

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Non-Regulatory Routes - Sprinklers

• LOW COST SPRINKLERS
• Commissioned Fire Protection Association (FPA) to
  undertake work.
• FPA looked first at lower-cost system developed
  in countries like New Zealand.
• Based on systems developed abroad FPA drafted a
  design guide for lower a lower cost system.
• The original design guide used the normal
  household water supply to power the system.
• Sprinkler connections and heads taken from water
  supply pipes.

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Non-Regulatory Routes - Sprinklers

• LOW COST SPRINKLERS CONSIDERATIONS
• Not guaranteed to work in all circumstances.
• Concerns raised by water industry i.e. health and
  water quality issues around dead legs
• Water industry concerns
• Dead legs and compliance with Water Regulations
• Water pressure
• Liability
• To address the key concerns of the water
  industry, have developed additional proposals for
  the design guide.
• Water Industry confirm they are content with the
  revised design guide.

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Non-Regulatory Routes - Sprinklers

• LOW COST SPRINKLERS PILOTS
• Phase 1
• Approximately 50 houses, aim to de-snag
  practical issues and validate the costs Kent,
  Cumbria, Lancashire, Northumberland
• Phase 2
• Larger scale pilots, if appropriate
• Up to 3000 houses
• More robust assessment of average costs and
  challenges

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Non-Regulatory Routes - Sprinklers

• LOW COST SPRINKLERS OUTCOMES
• Assuming the pilots are successful, we will have
  produced a lower cost system that will have a
  crucial role to play in helping to protect the
  most vulnerable from fire.
• They will not be considered under the building
  regulations, as they cannot be guaranteed to work
  all of the time.
• Through Home Fire Risk Checks, FRSs will be able
  to target lower cost systems at the vulnerable,
  as an additional fire safety measure.

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Non-Regulatory Routes - Sprinklers

• SPRINKLERS COST BENEFITS IN AREAS OF NEW BUILD
  HOMES
• Government has set a new housing target to build
  additional new homes to meet growing demand and
  address affordability needs
• In particular in areas like the Thames Gateway
• New dwellings will increase the population and
  housing density in these areas, potentially
  creating additional demands on local FRAs.

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Non-Regulatory Routes - Sprinklers

• SPRINKLERS COST BENEFITS IN AREAS OF NEW BUILD
  HOMES
• CLG considering what options there are to deal
  with this potential new demand. Three potential
  options are
• Installation of British Standard sprinklers in
  all new dwellings to reduce the level of fire
  risk.
• Installation of British Standard sprinklers in
  all new dwellings which are part of the social
  housing sector.
• FRSs to provide additional resources, such as new
  fire stations, in the areas of new dwellings.

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Non-Regulatory Routes - Sprinklers

• SPRINKLERS COST BENEFITS IN AREAS OF NEW BUILD
  HOMES
• Study objectives
• Perform a cost benefit analysis of the following
  options
• do nothing (base case)
• installation of British Standard sprinklers in
  all new dwellings, without additional FRS
  resources
• installation of British Standard sprinklers in
  all new dwellings which are part of the social
  housing sector, without additional FRS resources
  and
• additional FRS resources (e.g. new fire stations)
  in the areas of new dwellings, without installing
  sprinklers.

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Non-Regulatory Routes - Sprinklers

• SPRINKLERS COST BENEFITS IN AREAS OF NEW BUILD
  HOMES
• Study will consider
• all relevant economic, social and environmental
  costs and benefits to the FRSs, the Government
  and on society
• wider impacts, on neighbouring communities and
• Implications in terms of FRSs ability to attend
  to non-fire incidents and provide ancillary
  services (e.g. home fire risk checks)
• Assess the effects of a sprinkler requirement
  on the supply, demand and affordability of new
  homes in the Thames Gateway.

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Non-Regulatory Routes - Sprinklers

• SPRINKLERS COST BENEFITS IN AREAS OF NEW BUILD
  HOMES
• Summary of approach
• Use of Fire Service Emergency Cover (FSEC)
  toolkit and national model.
• Use of existing evidence on the effectiveness of
  residential sprinklers
• HM Treasury Green Book guidelines
• Input from stakeholders CFOA, FRSs, NFSN etc.
• Research should be complete by end of Summer 2009.

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Non-Regulatory Routes - Sprinklers

• SPRINKLERS IN HIGH RISK BUILDINGS - RESEARCH
• Property protection
• Recognise the impact and cost that fire can have
  on local communities and economies
• Government is keen to encourage and support a
  culture of improved fire safety management,
  particularly in those buildings which may
  represent a higher risk.

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Non-Regulatory Routes - Sprinklers

• SPRINKLERS IN HIGH RISK BUILDINGS RESEARCH
• Commissioned research to understand business
  perceptions of sprinklers
• To look into the costs and benefits of sprinkler
  installations in commercial and other buildings.
• Aim
• Facilitate business considerations of sprinklers
  as part of the wider package of fire safety
  measures that are available to them, particularly
  where their installation can be justified as a
  risk mitigation measure.
• Key output from the project is the development of
  a model for building owners/occupiers to use to
  assess, on the basis of risk, whether sprinklers
  would deliver an appropriate and cost
  effectiveness risk mitigation measure based on
  the specific circumstances of their business
  requirements.

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Non-Regulatory Routes - Sprinklers

• SPRINKLERS IN HIGH RISK BUILDINGS RESEARCH
• By commissioning this work there is no suggestion
  that Government would legislate for sprinklers
  for property protection.
• We believe it is for the building owner and their
  insurers to decide what measures they need to
  protect their building and their business.
• The Governments role is to facilitate the
  process.
• This research is designed to add value to the
  process.

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Non-Regulatory Routes - Sprinklers

• THANK YOU
• Mike Larking
• Fire and Resilience Directorate
• Communities and Local Government
• 020 7944 5695
• mike.larking_at_communities.gsi.gov.uk