Industry Viewfinder


“How important do you believe the following fire safety products are? Please select one per row using scale, where 1 is ‘not at all important’ and 5 is ‘very important’”


ease of use (59%), and a trusted brand (59%) defined ‘better’ products. Following these, in descending order, were installation guides (48%),


manufacturer-led installers (41%), recommendations (39%), and remote access (28%). One area where respondents were at odds with each other was on cost – with


20% arguing that higher costs was one definition, and 20% saying lower costs fulfilled this.


THE STAGES OF A FIRE Just as there are variations in quality, there are also a range of different styles of fire safety products, all catering for fire protection at different stages of a fire’s development. With each providing a different function to help save residents, our research showed a range of trust in these differing product types.


PREVENTION Unless a fire is very small, it is advised that residents evacuate a building to a place of safety and call the fire brigade. Where such small fires do occur, however, fire blankets and extinguishers are able to restrict the development of a fire and quell it in its early stages. When asked how important fire extinguishers are from not at all important to


very, 7% regarded fire extinguishers as not at all, 14% as not important, 18% neutral, 11% quite important and 50% very important. Arguably less popular, fire blankets were rated at 4% not at all important, 18% not important, 9% neutral, 33% quite important, and 36% very important.


ALARM Where fires have already gotten out of control, speedy escape is essential. A home can be consumed by flames in less than four minutes, and small fires


can get out of control in under 30 seconds. With time this tight, it is essential that residents are alerted to danger as quickly as possible to action their escape. Affordable and easy to maintain and install, fire alarms are proven to be best


placed to achieve this, with research showing that the number of fatalities from domestic fires has dropped as smoke alarm ownership has increased. When asked how important fire alarms were, our respondents included the


product among the most important, with 0% saying they were not at all important, 2% not very, 2% neutral, 4% quite important, and the vast majority


A home can be consumed by flames in less than four minutes, and small fires can get out of control in under 30 seconds. With time this tight, it is essential that residents are alerted to danger as quickly as possible to action their escape


(91%) believing them to be very important.


EXIT Once alerted, residents must then exit the building. They will likely be disoriented – especially at night, when the fire is most likely to occur – and distressed. In this state, any obstruction can prove deadly. In order to make escape as smooth as possible, emergency lighting and fire


safety signage can provide essential visibility and clarity. None of our respondents believed emergency lighting to be not at all


important, with 2% quite, 7% neutral, 18% quite, and 73% very important. Slightly less popular, safety signs were rated by 7% as not at all important, 9%


not very important, 20% neutral, 11% quite important, and 53% very important. Lastly, 0% listed fire exit equipment as not at all important, 0% as not very important, 20% neutral, 27% quite important, and 52% very important.


PASSIVE PROTECTION While residents make their escape, it is important that a home is able to prevent the spread of fire by itself, and buy them valuable time. Passive fire protection is a vital component of any fire strategy, built into the


structure of a home and able to limit the spread of fire and smoke by containing it in a single room, and protecting escape routes and the building’s structure. Most passive fire protection products are ‘fire resisting’ – whether insulation,


doors, beams or columns, such products are able to withstand fire for certain periods of time, resisting heat conduction, the passage of smoke and hot gases, and structural collapse.


26 | HMMOctober/November 2021 | www.housingmmonline.co.uk


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