Fire union chief calls for national change after Grenfell

Matt Wrack, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, said there were warnings about dangerous cladding and fires spreading through building compartments long before the devastating blaze.

He said Grenfell must now be a “turning point” for national change.

Last week, the report on the first phase of the Grenfell inquiry criticised the London Fire Brigade for “serious shortcomings” in its response to the fire.

Enquiry chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick said fewer people could have died if the brigade had responded differently.

But speaking at the London Assembly today, Mr Wrack criticised the report’s focus on the London Fire Brigade and said national change was needed.

He said: “In many cases coroners make recommendations that have been made previously, which suggests that the fire service as a whole is not applying lessons.

“There are some major failings within the service nationally on that point.”

Mr Wrack said fire chiefs had allowed the perception of greater building safety to justify cuts to fire brigades, which be believes have gone too far.

He said: “We have heard a mantra from central government and politicians that fire is a declining risk in society.

“The logic is that you can get by with fewer resources, fewer fire stations, and less need for fire risk assessments.

“The story ever since that time has been a decline in resources for the fire and rescue service, including very significantly a decline in fire safety departments both in the London Fire Brigade and across the country.

“There is and has been a deep complacency in policy setting around fire and rescue.”

London Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton told the Assembly that her organisation was “clearly ready to learn” and “very willing to identify our own mistakes”.

She admitted that the brigade would now respond “very differently” to a fire like Grenfell Tower.

The second phase of the Grenfell inquiry is expected to begin in February next year.