NEWS


Grenfell Tower inquiry – phase one report


Responses to the findings The survivors and those bereaved by the fire welcomed the report, though noted it was ‘heartbreaking’ that it had found more people could have been saved had the building been evacuated earlier. Grenfell United, the campaign group for the bereaved and the survivors of the fire, called Sir Martin’s findings ‘strong’, noting in turn that LFB leadership must ‘stop hiding behind the bravery of their front line fire fighters [and] face consequences for these failings if there is to be change’. It noted that the ‘rank and


file’ firefighters were ‘let down’ by training, procedures, equipment and leadership’, while Sir Martin’s conclusion that the refurbishment of the building was not in line with building regulations had led to Grenfell United’s ‘determination to see criminal charges brought against those responsible for turning our homes into a death trap’. In turn, the fact that Sir Martin


found the refurbishment breached fire safety regulations – the group stated – meant that the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, its tenant management organisation and the construction companies involved in the tower’s refurbishment ‘now have serious questions to answer’ in the second phase of the inquiry. The group added: ‘Justice


means different things for all of us but the truth needs to be at the heart of our collective healing. We have been waiting a long time for this report. Today’s findings give us some confidence that our journey towards truth has finally begun. ‘We now need to urgently see


responsibility and action from this report, not excuses. One of the most worrying findings is Sir Martin Moore-Bick’s view that the LFB are currently an institution at risk of not learning the lessons from Grenfell.’ It was later reported by The


Guardian that Bindmans, a law firm representing around 200 of the bereaved and survivors, believes that the prospect of criminal charges


has ‘increased significantly’ following the report, with an initial assessment concluding that ‘the prospect of individual or corporate prosecutions is now far more likely’. Partner Paul Ridge stated


that the finding the facade was ‘not compliant with building regulations’ was a ‘game- changer’, adding: ‘He’s saying that the building is effectively unlawful. Immediately the spotlight has been turned on to the designers, the constructors and the materials. The only question now is who was responsible. The chances of criminal prosecutions have increased significantly.’ The company was also


‘encouraged’ by Sir Martin’s criticism of companies linked with the refurbishment, US cladding firm Arconic having ‘urged’ the inquiry to wait ‘to decide if the tower broke building regulations’.


LFB


Ms Cotton responded: ‘On behalf of [LFB] I want to express our deepest sorrow at not being able to save all those who died in the


10 DECEMBER 2019/JANUARY 2020 www.frmjournal.com


Grenfell Tower fire. The suffering of the bereaved, survivors and community will never be forgotten by any of us in the Brigade. The inquiry’s report details from the start that fire spread to the top of the building within 20 minutes. ‘It was an unprecedented


residential building fire, precipitated by significant failings of the building’s fire safety measures which created impossible conditions that residents and the emergency services must never be placed in again. We will now carefully and fully consider all of Sir Martin Moore- Bick’s Phase 1 report and take every action we can to improve public safety.


‘Many of the recommendations


are welcome and will need to be fully understood not only by [LFB], but by government, every fire and rescue service and every residential building owner and manager across the country. ‘The report is focused on our


response and it is right for our actions to be fully examined by the inquiry.’ She added: ‘We welcome the Chairman’s recognition of the


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