FOCUS
Top cover Iain Cox explains why installing sprinklers is wise practice and money well spent, given the severe impacts of fire on lives, buildings and businesses
I
N A matter of minutes, a large fire can disrupt business operations and perhaps ruin a business. According to a recent study1 carried out by the Business Sprinkler Alliance, only 16% of respondents considered the risk of fire to their business as a significant factor in their thinking when deciding whether to install sprinklers, with the majority not committed and/or relying on their insurance to cover any potential risk. To reduce the risk to life and the degree of damage in a fi re event, automatic sprinkler systems offer the business owner reliable, long lived and proven technology at a competitive and potentially reduced cost. Why, for example, deliver a warehouse or school as cheaply as possible, leaving out fi re safety measures, only to fi nd fi ve years later that it is completely lost due to a fire event, resulting in greater costs?
Food for thought
In the early hours of 12 March 2018, a devastating fire destroyed a recently opened 40,000m2 warehouse in Daventry, Northamptonshire,
50 OCTOBER 2019
www.frmjournal.com
which was not sprinklered. Despite more than 50 fi refi ghters tackling the blaze, the Gardman garden supplies distribution centre was completely destroyed, impacting not only the business and its employees, but also retailers, the local economy and the environment. The loss of £20m of stock was felt by retailers,
who rely on more than 4,000 lines of its garden products. Disruption and smoke warnings were issued following the fi re, while fi re water runoff needed to be monitored by the Environment Agency. There was also the environmental impact of disposing of the damaged property, and the costs, resources and materials required to rebuild it were in excess of £30m – significantly more than the cost to install sprinklers, which would have been in the region of £900,000. Thankfully, there was no loss of life but the lasting effect is undeniable, as the business went into administration before the end of 2018. A similar fate befell Asian snack manufacturer
UK Snacks, which collapsed into administration nine months after a major fi re destroyed areas of its warehouse. Whilst there may have been
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
