London Tall Building Chip Pan Fire Sprinkler Activation

Image taken from BAFSA video chip pan demonstration, click here to open  chip pan fire

Credit BAFSA/Stewart Kidd

• Fire Rescue Service; London Fire Brigade (LFB)
• Incident; Chip Pan Fire
• When; 21 August 2022
• Time of call; 17:53pm
• Where, West Drayton, Padcroft new development
• Use of premises; Purpose built residential block of flats
• Height of building: 4-9 storeys
• Fixed installation; Automatic fire suppression system (AFSS)

LFB have reported the above-mentioned incident resulting in the activation of the premises residential sprinkler system involving a chip pan fire.

 Background

• Padcroft development is la relatively new development located in the suburbs of West Drayton consisting of several residential block of flats comprising of a selection of 1,2- and 3-bedroom apartments, completed in 2019.

The incident

• LFB were called to a kitchen fire involving a chip pan within a dwelling, on arrival operational crews identified that the fire had been extinguished by one concealed residential sprinkler head.
• No further firefighting media was required to extinguish the fire.
• The incident stop message was sent at 18:11pm, 18 minutes from the time of call clearly demonstrating the benefits of sprinklers containing/controlling in this case extinguishing the fire before the arrival of the fire service.
• Supporting the most recent ¹UK research commissioned by The National Fire Chiefs Council National Fire Sprinkler Network and supported by British Automatic Fire Sprinkler Association. The research report that across all premises types:
• Sprinklers are 99% efficient in extinguishing or controlling a fire
• Sprinklers are 94% efficient in their ability to operate

 Benefits of residential sprinkler systems

• Rapidly reduced the rate of production of heat and smoke allowing

1. The fire service crucial time to implement their operational tactical plan evacuate the premises
2. Flashover prevented

• Fire contained to compartment of origin

LFB Press Release updated July 2018 , Reported that chip pan fires in the capital are rising,

• Figures, which have been released during Chip Week, show that the number of chip pan fires rose by 14 per cent between 2012-2013, with 2013 seeing the highest number of chip pan fires over the five year period. Chip pan fires buck the trend, as fires overall have fallen by 25 per cent over the past year.
• The figures also show that in London in the last five years:
• There were 1,754 chip pan fires
  • Over 500 people were injured
  • Three people lost their lives
  • The injury rate is high, with almost three out of ten of these fires resulting in injury, or even death

The Brigade’s Third Officer, Dave Brown, said:

“Many people think that chip pans are a thing of the past, but there’s been a recent rise in celebrities like Heston Blumenthal endorsing posh chips on TV cooking programmes.

“Chip pans and cooking with hot oil can be really dangerous and the risk increases when you start frying food more than once, as is the current trend with chips. All it can take is for you to become distracted for a few seconds and your cooking oil can quickly go up in flames.

Conclusion

• This incident clearly identifies the benefits of sprinklers involving chip pan fires, this is the fifth incident reported to Sprinklersaves.co.uk clearly putting the myth to bed that residential sprinklers as an extinguishing media should not be used on fires involving chip pans.
• On each occasion the fire was extinguished, contained/contained.
• Previous incidents

1. Lincoln, 7 August 2021
2. Tonypandy, Rhondda, 29 December 2021
3. Flint 3 June 2021
4. South Yorkshire 26 August 2022

Links

• BAFSA, Sprinkler Saves Annual Review 2021/2022
• BAFSA, Incident Data Reports, Focus on Sprinklers within high rise residential block of flats
• ¹ Efficiency and Effectiveness of Sprinkler Systems in the United Kingdom: An Analysis from Fire Service Data – Optimal Economics 2017
• LFB press release Chip pan fires