FireAngel recently hosted a roundtable discussion with delegates from the National Social Housing Fire Strategy Group, Ealing Council, and Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service to discuss how innovative technologies can raise fire-safety standards and empower communities.
Golden thread of information
Following the Grenfell tragedy, those responsible for fire safety were struck with a heart-rendering wake-up call; organisations didn’t have the necessary ‘golden thread’ of information about their buildings or know enough about their residents. Today, connected technologies such as the internet of things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) are driving a digitally-powered evolution for housing providers and strengthening the golden thread of building information.
Viewers (ondemand.housing-technology.com) can learn how applying technologies such as AI and IoT can move the housing sector from passive or responsive fire safety – using alarms to keep people alive, out of fire situations – to active or preventative fire safety.
Modern technologies can highlight trends and patterns of high-risk behaviour to pinpoint properties at risk, enabling housing providers to arrange successful interventions to help prevent fires. However, there is a general aversion to risk and a need for greater collaboration among stakeholders to accelerate progress, according to the experts at FireAngel’s event.
New technologies & barriers to progress
Sarah Stevenson-Jones, vice chair, National Social Housing Fire Strategy Group, said, “Many new technologies are coming to the market, which will enable evolution. Furthermore, the Building Safety Act, which will hopefully be introduced by 2023, should drive further change.
“However, there are barriers to progress. For example, there are financial pressures in the social housing sector. Housing providers also don’t clearly understand what’s available in the marketplace and how they can benefit.”
Initiatives such as the Fire Industry Association’s (FIA) IoT special interest group have been designed to accelerate sector-wide acceptance and increase understanding, so that more people can take advantage of enhanced fire safety. Fire and rescue services are still heavily reliant on upstream referrals from agencies, such as ambulance services and housing providers, but with more data and better collaboration, more fires can be prevented.
Jason Avery, assistant director for prevention and protection, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service, said, “In private dwellings, we have no legal precedent to cross the threshold unless there is an emergency, so the referral pathways need to be better established – for example, going out to meet the public, educating them and identifying those who are vulnerable.”
Real-time data & alerts
Using connected technologies, housing providers and fire rescue services could identify a fire risk before it becomes a 999 call. Data monitored in real-time can alert housing providers if alarms are triggered or in need of maintenance. This information can then be combined with critical data on individuals’ physical or mental status.
For example, a decline in cognitive abilities leading to memory loss and confusion about time and place can lead to electrical appliances overheating or food being left in the oven too long, increasing the risk of a fire. Having notifications of frequent alarm triggers or a delayed response to silencing alarms can prompt landlords to check in with tenants and ensure that everyone gets the help they need when they need it.
However, to access the potential of innovative technologies and identify vulnerable residents, key stakeholders need to adopt these solutions.
During the roundtable, Jason Avery and Sarah Stevenson-Jones were joined by Paul Cook, Ealing Council’s then interim health and safety manager, and Nick Rutter, FireAngel’s co-founder and chief product officer, to explore how innovative technology is enabling better risk management.
Viewers will gain insights into the current fire safety landscape for housing providers, what’s driving change and innovation in the fire safety world and what can be expected in the near future.
Watch FireAngel’s roundtable now at ondemand.housing-technology.com.
