In February 1877, a fire broke out in a Massachusetts mill. It was, by most accounts, an unremarkable fire and the kind of incident that at any other time would have gutted a building, destroyed livelihoods, and perhaps cost lives.…
When a Fire Breaks Out, Who Really Knows The System?
The story that caught my attention recently wasn’t about fire growth or building loss; it was about confusion. Specifically, the confusion faced by the fire service when arriving at buildings equipped with a range of fire protection systems. In more…
Is This What Regulatory Success Looks Like?
Tom Roche, Secretary of the Business Sprinkler Alliance Oddly, the image I’m looking at this week isn’t the burnt out hulk of an industrial or commercial building such as the Cannock warehouse fire from May 2024. It’s a photo from…
Rebuilding Schools: Time To Think Again About The Value Of Fire Protection
Thomas Roche, Secretary of Business Sprinkler Alliance In October, the government announced its continued commitment to the future of education, unveiling plans to rebuild another 114 schools across the country1. This investment presents an invaluable opportunity to ensure that our…
Blaze Destroys West Sussex Beauty Products Warehouse
A massive fire engulfed an unsprinklered warehouse in Burgess Hill, resulting in the complete destruction of the facility. The warehouse was operated by a mail order hair and beauty products business. The fire broke out on the afternoon of June…
The rise of the warehouse and the issue of fire safety
Recent articles have noted the dash for warehouses that service our thriving e-commerce sector. Demand is strong for large, tall and clear spaces to meet our insatiable appetite for online shopping. But when you consider that the average cost of…
Why active fire protection must play a role in sustainability
In a post-Covid world, governments are being urged by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) to implement deep building renovation and performance standards for newly constructed buildings into pandemic recovery packages. While reducing energy demand and carbon emissions through the use…
BSA announces support for FIREX International Connect 2021
The Business Sprinkler Alliance (BSA) is delighted to announce its sponsorship, participation and support for FIREX International Connect 2021, Europe’s leading fire-safety event, which is taking place virtually from 1 to 30 June 2021. Attracting a high calibre of speakers…
Why do schools lack fire protection such as sprinklers?
The upheaval in education due to the pandemic in the past year has only highlighted how damaging the closure of schools has been and the legacy of lost learning. Further unnecessary interruption to education should be avoided, not least when…
Two unsprinklered factory fires, same outcome: two destroyed buildings
Tom Roche, Secretary of the Business Sprinkler Alliance takes up the story: In early April, when industrial fires broke out in two different locations, they both had the same devastating outcome. On 10 April, a fire started in a furniture…
Another huge fire at a self-storage warehouse: why are these buildings unprotected?
A fire that destroyed hundreds of rented units at a three-storey self-storage warehouse in Manchester has once again brought into sharp focus the wider impact of fire and the vulnerability of unsprinklered buildings. About 125 firefighters and 25 fire engines…
Sprinklers: the buffers needed to make buildings resilient
Iain Cox, Chair of the Business Sprinkler Alliance discusses: A recent Financial Times article, written by the Governor of Denmark’s National Bank Lars Rohde, highlighted the fact that a bank’s capital buffer should work much like a sprinkler system. In…