Devon Tall Building Bathroom Emollient Sprinkler Activation

• Date of incident; Summer 2024.
• Location; Devon.
• Use of building; Purpose built block of flats 10 floors and above.
• Incident; fire.
• Location of fire; Bathroom.
• Automatic Fire Suppression System; Sprinklers.
• Fire Rescue Service; Devon & Somerset Fire Rescue Service. (DSFRS)

Summary

Our thanks to DSFRS for reporting this positive news story reaffirming the importance of reporting sprinkler activations to Sprinkler Saves Uk allowing trends, anomalies to be identified in the emerging UK sprinkler firefighting industry allowing the continued review of technical standards ensuring best practice within the sprinkler, fire industry. In this case the

• Benefits of retrofitting a residential sprinkler system within a residential tall building.
• Importance of sprinkler coverage within bathrooms, shower rooms and toilets.
• Fire safety risks, if you use emollient and skin creams in the home.

If it was not for the decision taken by the social housing landlord to retrofit residential sprinkler systems following the tragic events of the Grenfell Fire throughout their high-rise residential blocks of flats property portfolio, we could be discussing a totally different outcome following an accidental fire involving a naked flame (lite cigarette) which came into contact with a bathroom towel contaminated with emollient. Resulting in the fire burning quickly and intensely activating 1 sidewall sprinkler head within the bathroom which extinguished the fire.

The outcome of this sprinkler review will improve fire safety awareness providing further evidence that the operation of a correctly designed and installed residential sprinkler system reduces the rate of production of heat and smoke, allowing more time for the occupants to escape to safety or be rescued. Providing further weight to the reliability and effectiveness of sprinkler systems following the two recent reports conducted ¹Optimal Economics, and commissioned by the National Fire Chiefs Council, National Fire Sprinkler Network into the performance, reliability, and effectiveness of sprinkler systems in controlling and extinguishing fires.

The reports found that:

• Sprinklers are 99% efficient in extinguishing or controlling a fire.
• Sprinklers are 94% efficient in their ability to operate.

The provision of a sprinkler system does not neglect the need for other fire practical precautions or provisions where the person is at higher-than-average risk from fire, unable to self-evacuate in the event of a fire

The Incident

• Fire crews were mobilised to a fire following an emergency call received from the remote alarm receiving centre, resulting in several appliances being mobilised by DSFRS fire control.
• Following the completion of a dynamic risk assessment, key task by the officer in charge (OIC) on arrival, it was established that the building was fitted with a residential sprinkler system with the fire reported within a flat.
• The provision of the sprinkler system allowed extra time for the OIC to implement a robust operational high rise tactical plan for the incident.
• Upon entry to the flat operational fire crews established that a fire within a bathroom had been contained, controlled and extinguished by the activation of 1 sidewall sprinkler head located within the room of origin.
• No further firefighting media was required
• Minimal fire damage was reported within the compartment of origin
• No injuries were reported.

It was established that the cause of the fire was

• A lit cigarette that made contact with a bathroom towel which was hanging on the back of the bathroom door which dislodged falling onto the lit cigarette being held in the hand of the resident.
• The towel immediately ignited burning quickly and intensely, the resident immediately made their way to a place of safety closing the bathroom door as he left preventing the fire spreading from the room of origin.
• The sidewall sprinkle head located directly above the inside of the door directly below the seat of the fire activated extinguishing the fire.

Emollient creams

FRS are actively promoting the use, dangers of using emollient creams within their local communities which can result in serious or fatal injuries from fire.

• It was identified that the resident used emollients which are easily transferred from skin on to clothing and items such as towels.
• The risk occurs when they are absorbed into fabrics and are then exposed to naked flames or heat source.
• Scientific testing shows that fabric burns quicker and hotter when contaminated with emollients. These fabrics include clothing, towelling, bandages or bedding.
• Cambridge Fire and Rescue Service, in conjunction with Anglia Ruskin University conducted an experiment to show the effects emollient creams on ignition rates. The following video experiment shows just how flammable materials with emollient residue on them are and how much hotter they cause fires to burn. (link to video can be found in the links/sources section)

Residential Sprinkler Specification

Installed to BS9251:2014

• Category 3 system
• Coverage, flats and communal areas
• Isolation valves installed for each dwelling/floor
• Firefighter inlet valve provided allowing the sprinkler supply to be augmented
• UPS back up power supply

The decision taken by the social housing landlord to include sprinkler protection for the bathrooms within the flats as part of the specification for the sprinkler system is clearly vindicated following the outcome of this incident despite the guidance contained within BS9251:2014 that bathrooms with a floor area of less than 5m² may be excluded unless required by a fire strategy or risk assessment.

Following the review, publication of BS9251:2021 Bathrooms, shower rooms and toilets with a floor area less than 5m2 are now only exempt if they have “linings conforming to BS EN 13501-1:2018 Class A1, A2-s3,d2 and B-s3,d2, and which are not prepared for white goods, such as washing machines, dryers, electric showers or water heaters;”.Therefore, bathrooms under 5m2 may now require sprinkler protection based on the updated wording.

Best practice

The social housing provider should be acknowledged for having the forefront focusing on the following areas which allowed a successful outcome for business continuity management.

1. Joint Working with DSFRS

Completing joint familiarisation visits to provide the appropriate information to plan and respond to an incident within a high-rise building. The outcome of which allowed DSFRS to identify the location and provision of key elements of the active fire safety systems where present such as sprinklers on arrival.

Allowing a robust onsite emergency response to be immediately actioned.

• Assisting in the control of the sprinkler system during the fire incident and following the fire.
• Attendance of the sprinkler company to reinstate the sprinkler system within under 4 hours from time of activation

Conclusion

If it was not for the sprinkler system, we could be discussing a fully developed potential major fire within the premises. This incident demonstrates once again the benefits of installing sprinklers within residential tall buildings for both the residents and firefighter safety.

• Rapidly reducing the rate of production of heat and smoke
• Allowing the fire officer crucial time to implement the operational tactical plan.
• Allowing firefighters to complete search and rescue operations by limiting fire development, which significantly reduces the risk of flashover.
• Integrity of the means of escape, maintained.
• Fire contained within the compartment of origin.

Demonstrating that a correctly designed and installed sprinkler system can detect, raise the alarm and control or in this case extinguish a fire at an early stage of development.

Links/sources

• Sprinkler Saves Review 2023/2024
• Sprinkler Saves Spring Update No 4
• Westhampsted Square AFSS Activation Case Study
• Fire and Rescue Service, video experiment to show the effects emollient creams on ignition rates
• ¹Efficiency and Effectiveness of Sprinkler Systems in the United Kingdom: An Analysis from Fire Service data In support of this publication a supplementary publication Incidence of Deaths and Injuries in sprinklered buildings was published

If you want to make a difference working in the fire sector, we need your assistance……

To make sprinklers the norm and not the exception – we need the evidence. Encouraging FRS and those in the sprinkler community to promote, collate, report sprinkler activations to Sprinkler Saves UK which will help to create a central and comprehensive record of fire incidents where sprinklers played their role in containing/controlling or extinguishing the fire.

If you hear of a save report it using this link.