A coroner has raised concerns with Housing Secretary Michael Gove that sprinkler systems are not a mandatory requirement for care homes.
In a report on a 2017 care home fire in Cheshunt, senior coroner for Hertfordshire Geoffrey Sullivan warned there is a risk that future deaths will occur unless action is taken.
Two people died at Newgrange care home after a fire travelled through voids in the roof that allowed it to quickly engulf the entire building.
Crews from Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue and London Fire Brigade found many residents were too frail to move themselves to safety.
In his Prevention of Future Deaths report on the incident, Sullivan stated two matters of concern.
Firstly, that “sprinkler systems are not a mandatory requirement for care homes whose occupants have either limited or no independent mobility and are therefore at higher risk from fire”.
Secondly, that “care homes whose occupants have either limited or no independent mobility, and are therefore at higher risk from fire, are not deemed to be ‘Higher Risk Buildings’ unless they are at least 18 metres in height or at least 7 storeys high”.
Gove must respond to the report by 7 April, including details of action taken or proposed to be taken, setting out the timetable for action.
Otherwise, the Housing Secretary must explain why no action is proposed.
