The evidence that climate change is real and at times devastating is being played out on our news channels almost every day. The phrase ‘hundred-year event’ is almost becoming common usage with every new extreme flood, wildfire, drought or other natural event.
At the time of writing this, world leaders are just days away from gathering in Glasgow for the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference. The aim and expectation is for a global action plan to urgently address the challenges of climate change.
The UK was the first major economy to pass law that will bring all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. It has been followed by a raft of legislation that sets out specific targets across almost every economic sector.
The impetus to achieve these targets will be driven by innovation that changes behaviours and introduces alternative technologies and new product solutions. This journey to net zero will affect all of society and bring with it new fire safety risks which require effective mitigation planning.
All too often our fire strategies are responses to major tragedies when the drive for change is set to avoid the likelihood of a repeat. The Fire Sector Federation wants to avoid that way of learning by developing thinking and knowledge sharing to inform preventative preparations now.
The significant changes in society need foresight if those who seek to protect communities from critical risks are to be successful. This requires a sophisticated, integrated and informed community, one that is able to adapt, mitigate and manage fire and those other associated safety risks.
In transport, the move to electric vehicles powered by lithium-ion batteries has already created new risks and operational procedures for fire and rescue services in how they deal with these intensely hot, fast-burning battery fires.
The public is now embracing electric bikes as a new form of greener transport and sales have surged. This has now led to warnings about new fire safety risks. London Fire Brigade’s Investigation team recently issued an urgent warning about the risk of fire from e-bike batteries. They have attended more than 25 fires already this year involving electric bikes or scooters, some of which have been significant and resulted in serious injuries. In many cases, the bikes are stored in escape routes and communal areas which stops people escaping.
As well as achieving net zero in the next 30 years, our buildings will have to be designed to cope with the effects of climate change. Warmer weather increases the need to keep buildings cool. More extreme weather events will see more areas designated as flood zones and greater occurrence of subsidence and building collapses like the tragic incident earlier this year in Miami.
In London, the Mayor’s office recently published figures showing that a fifth of London’s schools, 200,000 homes and workplaces, as well as 25% of rail stations and 10% of the network are at high risk of flooding if extreme temperatures worsen. If this is replicated across the UK, our fire services will be under considerable pressure.
The Fire Sector Federation and its members continue to work in partnership with the NFCC to collate available evidence from across the sector, capturing future perceptions and predictions, that may help manage risk. The Federation is looking at ways to effectively share knowledge and data across the sector, which will be fundamental in identifying and addressing new and evolving risks.
The significant changes for a greener society need foresight if those who seek to protect communities from critical risks are to be successful. This requires a sophisticated, integrated and informed community, one that is able to adapt, mitigate and manage fire and those other associated safety risks.
The objective is to clarify challenges, identify risks, propose solutions and describe reference points to assist all stakeholders to develop the innovative practices and products required in the years to come.
The Fire Sector Federation (FSF) seeks to give voice to and exert influence in shaping future policy and strategy related to the UK Fire Sector. The Federation is a not-for-profit non-government organisation established to act as a forum for the benefit of its membership and to evolve as a central source of information on all aspects relating to fire.
For more information, go to www.firesectorfederation.co.uk
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