15 June 2017
London Apartment Fire
The Board and members of
the Australian Institute of Building Surveyors express sincere sympathy to the
families of those who have lost their lives in the devastating Grenfell
apartment fire in London.
At this time, there is
considerable speculation around the possible causes of the fire and links are
already being drawn between this incident and others in Australia involving the
use of non-conforming products, including external wall cladding and electrical
cabling.
It is the view of AIBS that
this speculation is unhelpful while the cause of the fire and the elements that
led to its rapid spread are unknown and will remain so until an investigation
is undertaken.
Until the elements that
have led to this tragedy are fully identified, AIBS will not be drawn into
speculation.
Incidents like this only
reinforce the fact that buildings must be safe for people to live and work in
and it is the responsibility of governments and all building industry
professionals to ensure the safety of the public is protected through effective
building regulatory systems and the need to constantly review these systems to
ensure that they keep up with modern technology and to be fire safe.
News reports are quoting
London-based building surveyors identifying that local building regulations do
not require older apartment blocks to be retro-fitted with sprinkler systems
and other fire safety measures. While we do not know at this stage if this was
a factor in this tragedy, it points to the integral role our profession has in
keeping the public safe – both in monitoring existing buildings and advocating
to government and industry for future improvements.
AIBS will continue to work
with Government to achieve more effective building regulatory systems that
provide protection and safety for the public.
More information will be
provided as it becomes available.
Timothy Tuxford
AIBS President