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Obituary - Bernadette Hartley |
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“Great loss to fire community” as National Fire Sprinkler Network co-founder dies”
Bernadette Hartley died suddenly, on February 14 2008, whilst in hospital, after complications following radiotherapy. She had been ill for some months, after being diagnosed with a tumour on her lung, which led to her collapse in health. She, more than anyone, advanced the campaign for fire sprinklers, not just in the UK, but throughout Europe. She had passion and enthusiasm and is a great loss to the fire community. Bernadette, on behalf of Tess Kingham (the then MP for Gloucester), Glyn Evans and Peter Holland, formed the National Fire Sprinkler Network in July 1998.
Its initial success was definitely based on Bernadette's political “nous”. Peter has never met anyone with quite her ability to engage effectively with politicians, especially on a matter which was never going to be a vote winner. Members of FOBFO, and the NFSN, will all recall the early success with large single storey retail premises. Fleur Lombard’s tragic death in Bristol of course made a difference. However, Bernadette’s unswerving determination to bombard the then minister with postcards in support of the campaign, combined with her persuasive ‘charm’, won the day. After five years with the NFSN she moved on and helped found the EFSN which has also been very successful on the European scene. She returned to support the NFSN through the EFSN after a short break and helped drive through many important sprinkler initiatives in theWelsh Assembly, the Scottish Parliament and in London. Bernadette Hartley stood out in the fire safety community, firstly as one of the few women at meetings and conferences, secondly as someone who always had something to say, often to berate us for talking to each other rather than reaching out to politicians and other decision makers. That lesson has certainly been learned in the UK, where Fire Service members are no longer reticent about promoting the benefits of sprinklers in their communities. Things are changing as a result.
But most of what Bernadette did to advance sprinklers was done behind the scenes, talking one-on-one with politicians, acquiring IOUs by writing their eloquent speeches for appearances at fire safety events or co-ordinating political pressure to be brought to bear on an organisation or individual. She spoke to hundreds of MPs in Westminster, set up a Sprinkler Forum in the Scottish Parliament and in the European Parliament, arranged exchanges between Strathclyde Fire and Rescue and the Stockholm Fire Brigade and obtained high level introductions to interior ministries in several European countries.When she visited Sweden a few years ago she was introduced to the Prime Minister! It was her life-long interest in politics that made this possible. MPs and even ministers were old friends and she had their mobile and home telephone numbers. A committed member of the Labour Party, she stood for election to the European Parliament in 2004. Although she was number two on the Labour list for the southwest, Labour only secured one of the seven seats for that region. Bernadette threw herself back into the sprinkler cause. Being a politician herself, Bernadette knew how to speak in a way that made her words relevant to other politicians. We have undoubtedly lost one of the UK’s best advocates for fire sprinklers although she will continue to look down from above, ensuring none of us ease off in our objective to protect lives, property, society and the environment through increased sprinkler protection. She was the first person we can recall who raised the issue of using damage to the environment as a weapon to get politicians interested and then involved. It now seems like everyone is using environmental damage to raise awareness of fire. Her energy was boundless and her enthusiasm for the cause of fire sprinklers knew no borders or boundaries. She had a great desire to improve the lot of people generally. Some of the advances in the greater use of fire sprinklers are undoubtedly down to the commitment, energy and dedication that Bernadette showed and generated in others. It now seems hard to believe that the speech on the benefits of fire sprinklers which Bernadette wrote for Tess Kingham’s maiden speech in Parliament in1997 was so roundly condemned in the broad sheets. Progress on increasing both the use of sprinklers and awareness of their capabilities in the last ten years has been phenomenal largely due to Bernadette’s efforts. She will be deeply missed by the fire community both here in the UK and internationally.
There are going to be generations of people who should be grateful for the legacy Bernadette has left behind both in the UK and the rest of Europe. There will be less fire damage to people, property, our economies and the environment thanks to Bernadette Hartley. May she rest in peace.
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