West Midlands Fire Service Sprinkler Activations January-April 2025

Introduction

Six incidents have been reported by West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS) where sprinklers were present, having an impact for the above-mentioned period. Raising awareness of how the destructive effects of fire can be mitigated, and in most cases, be prevented through the enhanced use of sprinklers, and other forms of Automatic Water Suppression Systems (AWSS) which save lives, protect firefighters, homes and businesses as part of an appropriate package of fire safety measures.

Embracing the call from the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) who actively encourage fire services to collate, promote case studies to Sprinkler Saves UK to promote the effectiveness of sprinklers in operating and controlling and in some cases extinguishing the fire. The outcome of which will continue to promote a better understanding of the benefits of AFSS in the wider community, fire safety sector in general as an effective and reliable fire protection measure as part of a package of fire safety measures protecting life and property from fire.

Providing further evidence as part of our campaign driving change so AWSS are understood and accepted as the norm and not the exception, the outcome of which will.

• Influence policy makers to strengthen AWSS requirements, England’s sprinkler fire safety regulations trail behind its neighbours.
• Governments in other UK jurisdictions have set lower mandatory thresholds for the installation of sprinklers.
• Entice housing provider stakeholders and, others to install sprinklers as part of a package of fire safety measures providing a further layer of protection from fire for our communities.

West Midlands Fire Service¹

Is the second largest in England, operates 38 stations and various emergency response vehicles staffed by more than 1,350 firefighters and officers. In 2023, it responded to 30,000 incidents.

Actively promotes the installation of AWSS in high-risk areas.

Regulatory and sector changes relating to fire safety have occurred since the Grenfell tower fire. One such change has been the increase of sprinkler installations across the country with housing providers, local authorities and developers committing to install sprinklers in purpose-built block of flats on a new and retrofit basis. In 2017, Birmingham City Council (BCC) decided to retrofit fire sprinklers in 213 purpose-built blocks of flats to enhance resident safety. Previously, they had installed sprinklers in all communal bin areas of their residential tower blocks.

Key fact

• Six incidents were reported. In five cases, the sprinkler system extinguished the fire upon activation, and in the remaining case, the activation contained and controlled the fire.

Providing further evidence of the reliability and effectiveness of AWSS, supporting the UK research² which was commissioned by the NFCC, National Fire Sprinkler Network and supported by British Automatic Sprinkler Association. (BAFSA)

The report found that:

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

Incidents AWSS were reported as present, having an impact

 Key facts

• Four incidents involved purpose-built flats that had been retrofitted with a sprinkler system as part of the Birmingham City Council sprinkler projects.
• These incidents were either contained, controlled, or extinguished.

Providing further evidence that the main functional objectives of a life safety system were achieved.

• Reducing the rate of heat and smoke, containing and controlling or even extinguishing the fire.
• Reducing the likelihood of a fire spreading beyond the room of origin.
• Firefighters completing operational duties without due risk to either effect rescue or assist evacuation.
• Prevent conflagration.
• Allowing the business-as-usual service to be maintained within WMFS by reducing the impact of major fire incidents allowing the release of resources to provide an effective response to attend other emergencies

1. Purpose Built Flats/Maisonettes – 10 or more storeys

• Date of Incident; 6 January 2025
• Incident; Fire.
• Location of fire; Living room
• AFSS; Sprinklers.
• Impact of AFSS; Extinguished

A sprinkler system extinguished a sofa fire in a 10th-floor flat of a 20-storey building containing the fire to the initial item ignited. The resident self-evacuate before the arrival of WMFS.

       2/3. Purpose built Flats/Maisonettes 4-9 storeys

• Date of Incident(s); 17 January/6 March 2025
• Incident; Fire.
• Location of fire(s); Refuse/bin store
• AFSS; Sprinklers.
• Impact of AFSS; Contained/controlled/extinguished

Two refuse bin chute room fires were contained, controlled, or extinguished by the premises sprinkler system requiring minimal intervention by the fire service.

The risk of refuse/bin store fires should not be underestimated, these fires can significantly impact resident safety, especially where bin chutes open onto protected corridors, lobbies, and stairs, increasing the risk of fire and smoke spreading to common escape routes.

Data from Fire Rescue services for 2018/19 to 2023/24 shows the impact of these fires in purpose-built block of flats in England, Scotland, and Wales where AWSS were present, having an impact.

It was identified that.

• Refuse/bin stores recorded the highest number of incidents with 327 activations.
• What cannot be defined by the data is whether the installation of AWSS within buildings is limited to these refuse/bin stores alone or extended to the occupied flat areas.

Analysis of the data reveals that of the 327 refuse store fires where sprinklers were present having an impact, WMFS dominated the figures with 157 which should be of no surprise following the decision by BCC to install sprinklers in all communal bin areas of their residential tower blocks.

What the data is unable to confirm is the rationale behind why a small majority of AWSS fire incidents were identified as not containing/controlling the fire or recorded as unknown. Further interrogation of the IRS data fields would be required to explore this anomaly.

4. Commercial Fire

• Date of Incident; 22 February 2025
• Incident; Fire.
• Location of fire; Kitchen
• AFSS; Sprinklers.
• Impact of AFSS; Extinguished

A fire in an electrical deep fat fryer was extinguished by the sprinkler system. Fixed firefighting systems have proven to protect property, business, and jobs, allowing the impacted business to resume operations within hours and avoid economic and social costs.

Typically, in commercial kitchens fixed firefighting systems such as wet chemical systems are used for object protection, kitchen areas, fryers, oil cookers etc and not used for area wide protection of a building.

The benefit of installing wet chemicals is that they provide excellent flame knockdown and surface cooling the scope of kitchen protection should include all appliances that are capable of catching fire and not just the deep fat fryers, protection should cover ventilated ceilings/hoods, plenums and duct entrances and should be activated simultaneously.

5. Purpose built Flats/Maisonettes 4-9 storeys

• Date of Incident; 18 April 2025
• Incident; Fire.
• Location of fire; Bedroom
• AFSS; Sprinklers.
• Impact of AFSS; Extinguished

A fire involving a mattress and bedding was contained by the residential sprinkler system. The flat’s occupants evacuated safely before WMFS arrived, and no injuries were reported. Smoking materials was the likely cause of the fire.

The benefit of sprinklers should not be underestimated, the image of a similar bedroom fire reported by South Yorkshire Fire Service (SYFS) speaks a thousand words.

The fire was extinguished before the arrival of SYFR by the activation of 1 residential sprinkler head within the flat. No further firefighting media were required from SYFR, and no injuries were reported.

Image credit SYFS

6. Student halls of residence

• Date of Incident; 22 April 2025
• Incident; Fire.
• Location of fire; Kitchen
• AFSS; Sprinklers.
• Impact of AFSS; Extinguished

A cooking pan kitchen fire within a flat on the 12th floor of a 17-storey building was extinguished by the residential sprinkler system with fire damage to the item first ignited. No further interaction by the fire service was required.

It is no surprise that kitchen fires accounted for the highest number of fires following the findings identified by London Fire Brigade³ for cooking related fires for this occupancy who reported that over the past 5 years London firefighters have attended more than 1,200 cooking-related fires and false alarms in university students’ halls involving kitchen activities, People living in rented or shared accommodation are seven times more likely to have a fire involving unattended cooking.

The benefits of installing sprinklers for this type of occupancy was reinforced following three fires reported to Sprinkler Saves UK by Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service (NFRS) within the space of 12 months which were either cooking related or involved incense candles. On each occasion the fire was contained, controlled or extinguished by the sprinkler system, demonstrating the benefits of sprinklers.

Nottingham Kitchen fire involving an electric air fryer

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 AWSS.

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.

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

Conclusion

This collection of incidents highlights the benefits of AWSS, within the community and fire safety sector as an effective, reliable fire protection measure for safeguarding life and property as part of a package of fire safety measures. Demonstrating that the 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
• Allowing the business-as-usual service to be maintained by reducing the impact of major fire incidents allowing the release of resources to provide an effective response to attend other emergencies

Sources/further reading. 

• Sprinkler Saves Review 2023/2024
• Sprinkler Saves Spring Update No 7
• BAFSA Information file, A guide for Responsible Persons and Duty Holder
• Efficiency and Effectiveness of Sprinkler Systems in The United Kingdom: An Analysis From Fire Service Data
• Efficiency 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

• ¹Source WMFS Community Risk Management Plan (CRMP)
• ²Efficiency and Effectiveness of Sprinkler Systems in the United Kingdom: An Analysis from Fire Service Data – Optimal Economics 2017
• ³Source LFB press release Cooking related fires in London student halls