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Gloucestershire Lithium Battery HMO Sprinkler Save

1 December 2024 - 31 December 2024

Obi Selassie, GFRS Station Manager “If it was not for the activation of the sprinkler system extinguishing the fire before the arrival of the fire service, we could be discussing a different outcome for this incident, The benefits of sprinklers should not be underestimated they save lives and reduce injuries, protect firefighters.”

 Summary

Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service (GFRS) have reported that a fire at a house of multi occupancy (HMO) in December 2024 was successfully extinguished by the activation of the premises residential sprinkler system, believed to have been caused by the failure of a e-bike lithium battery which was on charge within a ground floor studio flat with no injuries reported.

Lithium battery fires can spread quickly out of control developing into large fires within a short period of time. If it was not for the foresight of the landlord to retrofit a residential sprinkler system as part of a package of fire safety measures the outcome of this incident could have been so different. HMO accommodation is undoubtedly a challenging environment from a fire safety perspective with their own individual challenges when a property is let to multiple individual tenants due to the higher fire risk.

A similar incident reported by London Fire Brigade (LFB) resulted in a e-bike battery explosion which destroyed a family home days before Christmas identifying the catastrophic consequences that can occur if e-bikes and e-scooters are not charged or stored safely, sprinklers were not installed.

Footage from a doorbell camera captures how quickly the property became engulfed in fire, three people were inside the house when the e-bike battery burst into flames on the first floor. One person escaped unharmed through the front door, but two others in a converted loft were forced to climb through a skylight on to the roof. One male fell from the roof and suffered serious injuries, while a woman slipped but was caught by a firefighter and later treated for smoke inhalation.

The growing risk of e-bike and e-scooter involving lithium battery fires should not be underestimated which can develop into significant and unstoppable runaway fires.

It should be remembered the installation of a life safety sprinkler system is to reduce the rate of heat and smoke, allowing more time for the occupants to escape to safety or be rescued.

Fire protection is dependent on both passive and active fire systems such as sprinklers working in unison providing a further layer of safety from fire as part of a package of fire safety measures, in reducing the impact of fire on people, firefighters, property and the environment.

Further guidance on suppression and extinguishing can be found in the Fire Industry Association Guidance Note on Lithium-Ion battery fires, which references that sprinkler protection of lithium-ion batteries is outside the scope of current sprinkler design standards, specialist standards are being developed such as NPFA 855.

This incident provides further evidence that the main functional objectives of a life safety sprinkler system were achieved.

  • Reducing the rate of heat and smoke, containing and controlling the fire
  • Reducing the likelihood of a fire spreading beyond the room of origin
  • Firefighters operated without due risk to either effect rescue or assist evacuation
  • Prevent conflagration

Adding 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 Incident

  • Date of incident; December 2024.
  • Incident; Fire.
  • Address; Gloucestershire
  • Occupancy: House of multi occupancy
  • Location of fire; Bedsit.
  • Impact of AFSS; Contained/controlled.
  • Number of sprinkler heads operated; 1.

Summary of Incident 

  • Fire crews were mobilised to reports of a confirmed fire following an emergency call 999 call.
  • On arrival the incident commander established that the seat of the fire was within a ground floor studio bedsit.
  • Upon entry, firefighters wearing breathing apparatus established that
  1. 1 sprinkler head had activated within the room of origin, containing/controlling and extinguishing the fire.
  2. 10% fire/heat and smoke damage sustained to the area in vicinity of the seat of the fire.
  • The resident self-evacuated the premises prior to the arrival of the emergency services.
  1. The fire was contained to the room of origin, allowing tenable conditions for the remaining occupants within the property to make their way to a final place of safety via the common ways.
  2. The cause of the fire involved a e-bike lithium battery which was on charge.
  3. Firefighting media, 1 hose reel jet was used to extinguish remaining hot spots.
  • Onsite information was not available allowing firefighters to assist in the management of water from the activation of the sprinkler system allowing the isolation of the sprinkler isolation valve.
  • Major protracted incident everted allowing FRS resources to be released, redeployed to attend emergency incidents.
  • The building was reoccupied at the conclusion of the incident
  • Alternative accommodation was required for the tenant whilst minor redecoration works were completed to their accommodation.

 The following advice is intended for building managers, individuals who have responsibility for fire safety within a building.

Premises Emergency Plan

The problem, post fire sprinkler activations reported where buildings have been identified as affected by water egress following the successful activation of the sprinkler system containing, controlling or in some cases extinguishing the fire, predominately due to.

  • Poor business continuity management, inadequate onsite emergency planning by the building manager or responsible person for the fire safety arrangements within a building.
  • Allowing onsite information to be available for firefighters to interact with the building active fire safety measures namely automatic water fire suppression systems.

There is now a high probability that firefighters will attend a variety of incidents where sprinklers systems are reported as present and having an impact within these types of buildings.

The provision of a robust emergency plan will allow an immediate emergency response to be actioned by the fire rescue service to assist in the management of water from the activation of the sprinkler system following a fire or even following the unlikely likelihood of un-intentional release of water, due to the knock-on effect this can have on a business or occupancy

Debunking the myth that water damage following the actuation of the sprinkler system will be more expensive than the actual damage resulting from the fire.

Reinstatement of the Fire Protection Measures

  • It is paramount that fire protection measures in buildings can function effectively in the event of a fire. To achieve this the premises emergency plan should include that arrangements are in place allowing the immediate reinstatement of the sprinkler system.
  • It is a requirement of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order for the responsible person to implement the appropriate arrangements for the effective planning, organisation, control, monitoring of the preventive and protective measures.
  • Any delay could compromise the safety of the occupants in the event of a further fire within the building due to the sprinkler system being offline.

Further detailed guidance on Sprinkler protected buildings can be found in the BAFSA Information file, A guide for Responsible Persons and Duty Holder.

Sources/further reading. 

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.

Credit to GFRS for reporting this incident allowing the benefits of sprinklers to be reported to a wider audience raising awareness of the good work that sprinklers do and help in our continued campaign to lobby government to introduce tougher sprinkler rules making the installation and retrofitting of sprinklers mandatory in all buildings we are particularly concerned about:

  • Buildings housing vulnerable residents
  • Residential buildings
  • Schools
  • Carparks
  • Storage and warehouses
  • Hospitals

   

 

Details

Start:
1 December 2024
End:
31 December 2024
Event Category:

Other

Location (Town/City)
Gloucestershire
Type of Sprinkler Installation
Wet Pipe