NEWS Moorland fires affect North West


THE NATIONAL Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) discussed the two incidents in Greater Manchester and Lancashire, on Saddleworth Moor and in Rivington. In late June, the two fires required


a great deal of fire service resources, with multiple fire services mobilising alongside army assistance and the NFCC’s specialist wildfire group. Specialist teams from fire and rescue services nationwide attended the Greater Manchester fire to ‘offer additional support, equipment and expertise’, while assistance to both Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) and Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service was given by Northumberland, Merseyside, and Lancashire Fire and Rescue Services, the last of which required support with the Rivington fire. Services and teams were ‘looking


to identify additional ways to fight the fire and give tactical advice’. The NFCC specialist wildfire group – part of its national operations coordination committee – was ‘utilised to offer expert advice’ to GMFRS’ incident command team, while wildfire experts assisted with ‘professional and operational’ guidance.


extinguished and disposed of correctly’. Campers should ensure fires ‘are never left unattended’ and are extinguished before leaving, while ‘additional care’ should be taken with fires outside a home. The NFCC also discussed the fire


in Rivington, with both ‘significant’ incidents covering an area of around 27km2


. Resourcing was supported The NFCC stated that while such


fires are ‘sporadic’, they are a ‘frequent incident type for a number of fire services across the country’, and can spread ‘exceptionally quickly’, with ‘devastating effects’ on wildlife, the environment, local communities – who may need to be evacuated – the economy and infrastructure. In spells of hot weather such as the UK had been witnessing, they can become ‘more commonplace’, with the NFCC urging people to take steps to prevent them including ensuring barbecues, cigarettes and smoking materials ‘are fully


by both the National Resilience Assurance Team and National Resilience Fire Control. National Resilience had an enhanced logistic support capability ‘in attendance’ in Lancashire to assist with ‘coordination of the assets’. Around 47 appliances and 150


firefighters were in attendance, while air support from United Utilities was used to drop water on affected areas, and drones for reconnaissance to ‘provide vital operational intelligence to the incident commanders to inform their tactical plans’. Roy Wilsher, NFCC chair, stated:


‘The response from fire and rescue services across the country has been incredible. Incidents of this scale needs a coordinated, joined-up approach; this ensures we have the right people, assets and equipment in place.’


Glasgow School of Art was set for sprinkler system


THIS LISTED building recently caught fire after a previous blaze in 2014, with sprinklers not fitted after the last fire but set to have been at the time of the second. A report by The Guardian stated that sprinklers ‘had not been fitted’ after the first fire at the Mackintosh Library in the building, which was ‘almost entirely destroyed by fire’ in May 2014. A spokesperson for the British Automatic Fire Sprinkler Association (BAFSA) stated at first that ‘it was understood’ that automatic sprinklers had not been fully fitted due to the building undergoing refurbishment’. BAFSA added that ‘however, it should be realised that sprinklers can be fitted in buildings throughout construction on a temporary basis, as there is a considerable risk from


fire during this period’, with the blaze requiring over 120 firefighters and 20 appliances, and spreading to two neighbouring music venues. The previous fire began when flammable gases from a foam canister were ignited accidentally, with a Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) report concluding in that case that old ventilation ducts had helped the spread into neighbouring studios and upwards throughout the building. Paul Sweeney, Scottish MP for Glasgow North East, ‘echoed the concerns’ of BAFSA, stating that ‘I was rather surprised at the lack of active fire prevention patrols at the building. In hindsight, there should have been much more done’. BBC News later spoke to BAFSA again, who confirmed that a


suppression system was ‘close to being activated’ for use when the second fire occurred. Pumps that were needed for a watermist system ‘had arrived on site the day before the blaze’, though BAFSA pointed out that ‘it would have taken weeks to complete the installation’, according to chief executive Keith MacGillivray. He stated: ‘The pumps for the fire


suppression system were there at the school of art the day before the fire. They are very large pumps so they were delivered in component parts. It would have taken some weeks to reassemble the pumps and connect up the pipe work and obviously the water tanks would have had to be connected and put in place as well. Everything would also would have had to be tested thoroughly before being made operational.’


www.frmjournal.com JULY/AUGUST 2018 9


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