Our world has seen its fair share of fire disasters: the Great Fire of London in 1666, the Tooley Street fire of 1861, the Leinster Towers Hotel fire in 1969, Grenfell Towers in 2017… The losses, human and material, from fire have been immeasurable and catastrophic, yet not all must be lost from these experiences as there is much to learn about fire safety in each fire related incident. Fire fighters are prepared for every possible scenario as rescue professionals, and fire safety protocols are ever-changing and evolving as fire safety and protection technology progresses.
Back in 1666, they did not have fire resistant ceilings or doors, nor did they have smoke detectors. The technology and research behind fire protection and safety has progressed significantly, and education about preventing house fires starts in some schools with children as young as five or six. In general, we have come a long way in terms of building fire safety. We ensure that there is enough space between buildings, unlike the towering buildings in King Charles’ time, and we have equipped every household with a fire alarm, so in the event of a fire, the alarm can give the occupants an opportunity to escape. In many high occupancy buildings, the fire systems include active measures such as water sprinklers to help reduce the spread, and specific building materials are used which are designed to contain a fire, so that it does not spread to upper or lower levels.
With all of this technology in building materials and devices in place, mistakes are made and unfortunately, devastating fires still happen. While the loss of life is irreplaceable, we can still learn from these events and these are the moments that allow us to spur change and develop stricter regulations with building safety that can potentially save millions of lives. Tighter regulation around building safety and materials used seems to be the ongoing theme around the Grenfell fire inquiry. Coming out of this inquiry, there is industry speculation that building and fire safety accreditations may be enforced, or heavily recommended at the least, since they offer a certain standard of compliance and quality control.
Onetrace is unlike any other active and passive fire protection app, as it is built with accreditations in mind. While Onetrace does not provide these accreditations nor are they official representatives of the accreditations, the framework, once used effectively, is designed to allow a company to remain compliant. By using Onetrace, you have peace of mind. You also have a better workflow so your fire protection operatives are more efficient and your administrative work is reduced, giving your team more on-the-job time and less time trying to mark locations and upload photos. Your operatives are happier, your admin team is happier and your clients will be happier too. Now this is the future: Onetrace’s active and passive fire protection app.
Only time will tell if accreditations and stronger regulations around building safety and fire protection are going to be enough. As technology progresses, we will see more solutions and developments to keep us safer in our homes. Artificial intelligence could see smart homes that connect fire alarms to fire stations for a faster response rate and with more detail on where the fire originated from earlier, allowing for more efficient extinguishing straight to the source. It could even determine when various levels in a building should be evacuated to safety since the calculating power and risk assessment speeds happen at supersonic speeds. This can massively improve the reaction rates and save lives, but this is thinking ahead. For now, we all have to be aware of fire safety and educate youngsters and adults, make good use of the technology that is available and continue to develop new technologies that could be the next best thing for the future of fire safety.
If you’re ready to make the switch to a better active and passive fire protection app or just want to see what all the fuss is about, all you need to do is get in touch or request a demo. If you’re not ready to commit, that’s okay - you can try Onetrace completely free for 14 days with zero obligation or commitment. It’s that simple.