I am pleased to share that, as of this week, London Fire Brigade (LFB) has completed all 29 recommendations directed at the Brigade by the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 Report.
The Grenfell Tower Fire was an appalling tragedy, and we owe it to the victims to ensure that everything learnt from the event leads to improvements that ensure such a tragedy never happens again.
LFB's changes include:
- The entire fleet of high-reach vehicles has been replaced and three new 64-metre turntable ladders are now in service, the tallest ladders across Europe.
- New command units, equipped with new technology, entered service at the end of 2023.
- London firefighters now carry escape hoods that can protect individuals from toxic smoke, as they are being rescued from a fire incident. Since this kit was introduced in 2018, over 200 Londoners have been rescued in this way.
- Control officers now benefit from improved training which has transformed how they provide fire survival guidance to people involved in a fire.
- LFB has introduced new software that allows members of the public to provide Control officers with a video feed from an incident.
- Communications during incidents have improved, with new fire ground radios allowing firefighters wearing helmets and breathing apparatus sets to communicate effectively with their teams and Control officers when inside buildings.
- Drones are now used to provide live images and thermal imagery to better enable incident commanders to develop tactics to tackle fires.
