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Tyne and Wear FRS, Joint Working with Partners – Surefire Ultraguard Activation Save

Name: Tyne and Wear FRS, Joint Working with Partners – Surefire Ultraguard Activation Save
Start: 2023-01-01T00:00:00+00:00
End: 2023-02-28T23:59:59+00:00
Location: Gateshead

1 January 2023 - 28 February 2023

Fire Rescue Service; Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service. (TWFRS)
Location; Gateshead.
Location of fire; House, room.
Automatic Fire Suppression System; Water Mist Personal Protection System Ultraguard. (PPS)

“This is an excellent example of partnership working to achieve a positive outcome for a vulnerable community member and highlights best practice for these kinds of cases, moving forward.” Explained Shaun Kelly, Prevention Manager for TWFRS.

Our thanks to both TWFRS, Surefire for reporting this positive news story the second reported successful Automatic Fire Suppression System (AFSS) save reported to sprinkler saves UK demonstrating the benefits of installing PPS protecting our most vulnerable community members from fire.

Reaffirming the importance of reporting

AFSS 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.
Case studies, on this occasion the importance of joint working with partners to achieve a positive outcome for a vulnerable community member from fire.

The importance of installing AFSS as part of a package of fire safety measures where a vulnerable person has been identified at a higher-than-average risk to from fire due to their:

Propensity to contribute to the starting off or development of a fire.
Capacity to respond appropriately to signs of a fire.
Ability to self-evacuate.

To satisfy the Fire and Rescue Service, the UltraGuard PPS was chosen to protect the community member as it is certified to LPS 1655 (LPCB Third Party Approval Standard). The importance of a third-party approval standard should not be underestimated as it provides confidence about the design, performance, and reliability of these systems in practice.

Gateshead Case Study

In September 2022 TWFRS received a 999 call to a house fire in the Gateshead area, resulting from a Care Call monitored alarm activation. The occupier, Mr D was rescued from the property and conveyed to hospital suffering from breathing difficulties. The cause of the fire was accidental, and a safeguarding referral was submitted to the local authority due to concerns for Mr D including self-neglect, alcohol issues, hoarding and mental health issues.

In October fire crews were called to a second house fire at the same address. Mr D was rescued by fire crews and required hospital treatment for breathing difficulties due to smoke inhalation. A further safeguarding referral was made with the same concerns. Due to the extensive fire damage following the second fire, the property was deemed uninhabitable. Discussions were held with housing company and Mr D was relocated to a hotel following his discharge from hospital, until a new property was secured for him. He successfully moved into his new address a short time later.

On 21 December fire crews were mobilised to a fire at Mr Ds new address. Mr D was rescued and taken to hospital for treatment which resulted in a lengthy admission. Another safeguarding referral was submitted, and a request was made for an emergency meeting to be held due to the fact this was an extremely vulnerable individual; elderly, lived alone, smoker, alcohol issues. Mr D had been involved in three significant house fires over a three-month period, on every occasion he had to be rescued by fire crews and required hospital treatment. An urgent multi-agency safeguarding meeting was held on 22 December, further meetings led to agreements by partner agencies to carry out the following action:

As Mr D was known to smoke in bed, the existing monitored alarm was extended to include the bedroom
Installation of Surefire UltraGuard personal fire protection system within the property.
Joint visit by Housing and TWFRS to conduct a Safe and Well check
Fire retardant bedding, throw and mat issued
Referral to befriending services for Mr D due to feelings of isolation
Offer of referral to address alcohol dependency (this was declined by Mr D)
Referral to the fall’s clinic
Daily welfare calls from the local Housing Warden

Between January and February Mr D withdrew his engagement with housing and refused daily calls from the warden. He also refused to engage with the Gateshead Recovery partnership for support with his alcohol dependency and withdrew consent for the installation of the monitored smoke alarm in the bedroom. Further safeguarding meetings were held to discuss the ongoing and increasing concerns from partners, particularly the high fire risk. Partners worked together to re-engage Mr D and because of hard work and persistence from all partners, the misting system and smoke alarm were installed.

A further fire incident has occurred in Mr Ds home, however the detection activated causing the misting system to deploy preventing both serious damage to the property but most importantly, no injury to the occupier. This case study shows how a high risk and vulnerable occupier can be protected by partner agencies working towards a common goal.

Risk Profile/ Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan

These types of fires clearly show the importance of Identifying community members that are most vulnerable by the completion of a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP). This is likely to be completed in premises where the risk to persons in a fire situation is increased due to cognitive or mobility impairments. Personal protection systems combine early warning of a fire through smoke detection and water mist for the delivery of suppression. Early detection of a fire is important is important, as occupants can quickly become overwhelmed by smoke and toxic gases, the biggest killer in a fire. Care needs to be taken to ensure that the risk profile of the vulnerable person is appropriate for PPS. For example, a vulnerable person who is mobile and living in a multi roomed flat has the potential to be affected by a fire anywhere in their home. As a result, they would possibly require a AFSS (such as a sprinkler system that is designed, installed and maintained to BS9251 Fire sprinkler systems for domestic and residential occupancies providing full coverage within the premises.

What are Personal Protection Systems?

Unlike sprinkler systems, PPS are local application water mist fire suppression system combining smoke detection
Designed to specifically protect vulnerable individuals with mobility and disability impairments from the threat of fire risk in residential and domestic occupancies who are unlikely to easily escape without assistance in the event of a fire
Developed in response to analysis of fatal fires in dwellings where many victims had physical and/or mental health impairment
The publication, “Guidance on the use, deployment and limitations of Personal Protection Systems in the homes of vulnerable people” developed by BRE Global and the London Fire Brigade, to assist in understanding and reducing fire risk to vulnerable people
BRE Global introduced a loss prevention standard, LPS 1655 covering the requirements and test methods for the LPCB approval of Personal Protection Systems.

Key components

Portable self-contained unit
3-day battery back-up in case of mains failure
Delivers 10 minutes of water mist
Activation, double knock multi sensor detectors
Nozzle discharges a spray pattern
Capable of suppressing an area of16m2, and controlling an area of 32m²
Parameters of the system allow fast burning, slow smouldering fires to be detected
Facility for remote monitoring
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 the FRS to promote, collate, report sprinkler activations to Sprinkler Saves UK 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

Links/further reading