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National spotlight on danger of Houses of Multiple Occupation |
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Migrants are too often living in cramped and crowded conditions which do not comply with fire safety legislation or the Housing Act 2004 according to fire officers in Bedfordshire and Luton, and Lancashire.
Area Fire Safety Manager Tim Birchall, along with Borough Council Environmental Health Officer Debbie Bromley, have pounding the streets knocking on doors and inspecting living accommodation above shops. “This the only way to root out the problem,” said Tim. “In very extreme cases we issue a Prohibition Notice, which we have done in the past 12 months in two cases in Bedford and one in Biggleswade. “In others it can take longer as we have to identify the legal landlord through property searches then determine the correct standards for not only fire safety but the general living conditions such as sanitation and cooking facilities. Where necessary formal notices are served – any failure to comply can lead to prosecution.” Councillor Chris Black, Housing Portfolio holder for Bedford Borough Council, said: “Conditions in bedsits and shared houses (houses in multiple occupation) (HMOs) can be much worse than in other rented accommodation with much greater risk of fire and other hazards. Removing risks to the occupiers of these premises by working jointly with the fire service is a good example of partnership-working producing results.” Bedfordshire and Luton, in keeping with other fire and rescue services, undertakes a wide range of community safety work. This includes a series of presentations to businesses advising them of their responsibilities under the Fire Safety Order of October 2006.
DCFO Graeme Smith said: “This is a problem increasingly faced by fire and rescue services all over the country – particularly in areas where there are large numbers of migrants seeking accommodation in the private landlord housing sector.” Lancashire CFO Peter Holland said that migrant workers (mostly Polish people) settling in Lancashire, are often at a greater risk from accidental fires in their homes than the majority of people in the county. Speaking on BBC 10 o’clock news on February 19, he expressed his fears that many migrant workers live in a poor standard of rented accommodation, often overcrowded and with inadequate fire precautions to keep them safe from fire.
CFO Holland explained: “Though many HMOs are well run and incorporate proper fire precautions, such as alarm systems and fire doors, it is sadly the case that a number are not, and we have had a number of fires in Lancashire in which firefighters have saved the day and rescued people, but have discovered an atrocious lack of fire protection measures in the property.” Lancashire have a number of approaches to tackling the problems of HMOs including prosecuting any HMO proprietors whose premises have inadequate fire precautions. CFO Holland added: “We work with other agencies, such as local authority housing departments, to ensure that we have the full picture and can contribute to comprehensive solutions to the problems we identify. We also work with migrant communities directly and have appointed a Polish community liaison worker to raise fire safety awareness in those communities to prevent accidental fires in relation to smoking and cooking, for example. “Our ‘Key Phrase’ card in Polish/English is a practical tool for firefighters to use at incidents to maximise their chances of rescuing casualties. Pointing to a question, in Polish, such as ‘Is there anyone else trapped inside?’ and getting a reply from a survivor, even if just a nod to confirm, can make the difference between life and death for the casualty waiting to be rescued.”
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