Concerns raised about safety in high-rise buildings
THERE have been concerns raised about the safety in high-rise buildings following the fire at the Glashaus Hotel, after it took 24 minutes for a turntable ladder to reach the hotel in Tallaght from the Dublin Fire Brigade headquarters at Tara Street.
Dublin Fire Brigade currently have three aerial appliances available for the whole of Dublin, one of which is a turntable ladder which was used to rescue people who were stranded on their balcony when a fire broke out at the Glashaus Hotel in Belgard Square, Tallaght on October 16.
There are now serious concerns about the lack of aerial equipment for Dublin Fire Brigade, as high-rise buildings continue to be built in the areas of Tallaght, Citywest, Lucan and across Dublin.
Former District Officer with Dublin Fire Brigade, Peter Navan, says that Dublin Fire Brigade currently have two turntable ladders, both based in Tara Street and one hydraulic platform which is based in Dun Laoghaire.
“Traditionally all the high-rise buildings would have been located between the two canals, so it made sense to have the high-rise appliances in a central station,” said Peter.
“Now with urban sprawl and the huge developments in the likes of Tallaght and the relaxation of planning laws in relation to heights of buildings, there would need to be a review. I myself would be pushing for Tallaght but there are other urban areas as well that would benefit from aerial appliances so I would welcome a review.
Firefighters had to wait 24 minutes for the turntable ladder to arrive in Tallaght from Tara Street DFB HQ (Image – DFB)
“Right along the Luas line from Walkinstown there has been planning granted for very high 10 to 12 storey apartment buildings, so I would think now is a time to have a look at maybe positioning aerial appliances out a bit further into the suburbs.”
Speaking about the time it took for the turntable ladder to reach the fire at the Glashaus Hotel in Tallaght, Peter told The Echo: “24 minutes is a long time.”
“If it is a large fire [where people’s lives are not at risk], your time isn’t as relevant but if it is a life safety issue like an apartment block or hotel and you have people trapped on balconies then time is critical – those seconds mean lives,” he said.
According to Peter, Dublin Fire Brigade aim to be at a ‘life safety fire’ within an ideal time of eight minutes but this is not always the case due to the equipment based in Tara Street and Dun Laoghaire.
“At the moment, the whole back end of Lucan, we cannot reach that from our current stations within a reasonable amount of time,” said Peter. “We want to be there on the ground working within eight minutes and at this stage there are parts of Lucan that we cannot do in that. I know they have a station planned for the bottom end of Lucan and in my opinion, it cannot come quick enough.”
Peter added: “Time is the key factor, and it is not just time from the first car to get there, we need multiple cars and the equipment for that job, and we need it there when it is life critical, we do not need it on the way to us from somewhere that is 24 minutes away.”
