News
Fire alarm sounded over
AECOM cuts 350
jobs amid bleak
timber-framed buildings
outlook for 2010
Shutterstock
AECOM Europe is making around
n
Fire chiefs are calling for 350 staff redundant as the result of a
urgent changes to UK further downturn in its order book,
legislation after a major fire at a and a bleak outlook for recovery
London construction site destroyed across many of its sectors in 2010,
at least 30 homes and a pub, the engineering consultancy has
and led to more than 300 nearby announced.
residents being evacuated. The job cuts follow earlier
The Fire Protection Association redundancies in January 2009 when
(FPA) and Chief Fire Officers 119 staff were laid off.
Association (CFOA) issued a In a letter to staff, Ken Dalton,
joint statement urging ministers AECOM chief executive, Europe,
to address issues raised by a wrote: ‘During the early parts of the
recent report into a similar blaze, summer we were hopeful that the
which occurred before the major actions we had taken during the
construction site fire in Peckham. course of the year were sufficient
The associations warned that to sustain the level of business that
there had been an increasing extremely dangerous in densely and the type of materials used was being won by the company.
number of fires on timber-framed populated areas. and stored on construction sites, ‘However, during the last four
construction sites, corresponding Peter Stephenson, principal fire particularly in relation to the risk months we have seen a further
to the move towards more consultant at Kingfell Consulting, posed to adjacent properties and downturn in our order book and the
sustainability in building. said: ‘This reveals that a fire can infrastructure.’ outlook across many of our sectors
These blazes characteristically affect far more than that considered The report recommends that it is is not predicted to recover for some
spread more rapidly, generate by current UK fire safety legislation. vital for fire and rescue service to be time.’
enormous radiated heat and This incident will no doubt given early notification of sites with The redundancy programme will
produce embers that can set off focus the risks associated with such unique characteristics. affect each of AECOM Europe’s
secondary fires – all potentially buildings under construction
www.foe.co.uk business lines and support services.
14 CIBSE Journal December 2009
www.cibsejournal.com
CIBSEjan10 pp14-15 news.indd 14 17/12/09 16:24:19
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