Commenting on the report of the Fire Safety Task Force, Social Democrats Councillor Cian O’Callaghan said today:
“The report of the Fire Safety Task Force Fire Safety in Ireland, published a year after the devastating fire at Grenfell Tower, fails to examine the extensive problem of structural fire safety defects in Celtic Tiger era developments.
“There are at least 30 developments from this era where serious fire safety structural issues have emerged including gaps in fire stopping, missing fire stopping and extensive non-compliance with Fire Safety building regulations. A head in the sand approach to this – pretending that the problem doesn’t exist and hoping that it will go away – will not work.
“Of particular concern is the number of timber-frame estates where there are fire safety construction defects. This is not an abstract concern, fires have broken out and spread rapidly in several timber frame developments putting lives at risk.
“The report published by government looks at cladding in high rise buildings and also fire alarm systems in multi-storey buildings. This is useful – but deliberately misses the very considerable risk that is posed by fire safety construction defects. A national audit is required to systematically establish the extent of the problem and this must be followed by a national mediation programme.”
ENDS
8 June 2018