Storey Court fire investigation finds failings by Aldwyck Housing Group

Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service’s report found emergency hose reels were condemned and alarms and emergency lighting were not tested in line with safety standards.

Findings also reveal staff did not know how many people were in the building, there was no evidence of an evacuation drill and a smoke alarm in one flat was covered.

Fire tore through the roof of Storey Court, in Barley Close, in March.

A report initially said it was accidental; on the day in question, plumbers had been replacing heating and hot water boilers in the in the roof and they had a hot works policy in place.

But further information from the investigation revealed failings on the part of Aldwyck.

The draft report said when the fire started there should have been three members of staff on duty between 4pm and 9pm but the document states one of them left at 5pm and returned at 6.10pm. Firefighters were notified of the fire at 5.54pm, so only two were working when the blaze took hold.

Aldwyck disputes this, stating the staff member referred to finished her shift at 5pm, and went back to help when she was alerted to the fire.

Neighbours who tried to rescue residents by forcing their way into Storey Court attempted to extinguish the blaze prior to the arrival of firefighters.

But hose reels on both floors failed to produce a constant water supply. They had been marked as condemned by a service engineer in October 2011. A fire risk assessment in November 2010 had already advised they be decommissioned.

According to the report, a break glass call point was triggered, but failed to activate the alarm, which contacts the fire service.

Further investigation as to whether it was operable was advised and Aldwyck representatives claim it did work. But test records revealed a full rotation of the break glass call points was not being carried out and some points were being tested more than others.

Fire safety inspecting officer Janette Wilson-Vinter stressed the hose reel and break glass issues “must be addressed before premises are re-opened”. Further failings include; the fire alarm seemingly only activated due to smoke being detected in the common corridor, fire alarms being tested monthly not weekly, and emergency lighting not being serviced.

According to the report, records did not show evidence of staff training or evacuation drills being carried out. Instead, the November fire risk assessment indicates a “stay put” policy was in place.

The report said: “On initial inspection Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans were not available, furthermore there is no indication in the fire risk assessment that they exist.”

The report did highlight Aldwyck was ensuring it tested emergency lighting monthly and the fire alarm was being serviced regularly, as required by British Standard.

But further investigation was recommended by Ms Wilson-Vinter in matters such as staff procedures, personal evacuation plans, whether break glass call points work, and whether detection was installed in the loft.

Hertsmere Borough Councillor Leslie Winters however is far from satisfied.

He said: “Why wasn’t the place closed in the first place, when the fire risk assessment of November highlighted failings with the hose reels? Why were recommendations given to Aldwyck not acted upon?

“Someone could have died in that fire, if it wasn’t thanks to the quick thinking and active approach of neighbouring residents.

“This needs to be a lesson to all housing associations.”

Aldwyck’s Nina Challenor said the post fire inspection was rated satisfactory, an internal review of fire safety arrangements had been conducted and all recommendations made by the fire service had been included in the review.

Hertsmere, which works in partnership with the county council and Aldwyck to manage allocations of housing vacancies, said they were satisfied the company was addressing concerns in the report.