The Mayor of London has today published an update which shows that nearly a year on, the London Fire Brigade has made substantial progress on the implementation of the Grenfell Tower

Inquiry recommendations. The Inquiry’s phase one report – published on 30 October 2019 – made 46 recommendations directed at the London Fire Brigade.

The new London Fire Commissioner, Andy Roe, appointed by the Mayor on 1 January 2020, is committed to delivering on the recommendations of the Inquiry report and has met the Grenfell community to share updates on the changes the Brigade is making.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “The Grenfell Tower fire was a national tragedy in which 72 innocent Londoners lost their lives. We owe it to the people who died, their loved ones and those who survived to ensure that nothing like it ever happens again.

“I will personally do everything within my power to ensure that the Inquiry’s recommendations are implemented, and I will continue to be relentless in holding to account those responsible for implementing the remaining recommendations. The Grenfell community must get the justice they deserve, and all Londoners need to feel safe again in their homes.

“Significant progress has been made under the new London Fire Commissioner Andy Roe, but it is clear there more work to be done and we are determined to make the changes needed as swiftly as possible. 

“I am concerned that without faster action, the Government and building owners are failing the Grenfell community and putting lives at risk. I know the Grenfell community are fearful that a similar tragedy could happen again and I share their concerns. Since the fire, I have been calling for urgent changes to building safety regulations. The Government, housing and building industries must not wait to implement the wholesale reforms that are needed to fix a broken system.”

Commissioner of London Fire Brigade, Andy Roe, said: “Earlier this year I met with members of  the Grenfell community, I am humbled by their courage and dignity in the face of what they suffered and their determination to prevent such a tragedy from happening again. I echo their determination and I am committed to completing all of the Inquiry’s recommendations so that Londoners, particularly those living in a high rise building, can feel safe in their homes.

“In the last 12 months we have been working to implement those recommendations directed at the LFB or fire and rescue services. We have made changes including introducing new equipment, such as fire escape hoods and new drones. We have developed new procedures to help firefighters tackle fires in buildings that fail and are  training for our firefighters and officers in these. 

“This has been a challenging year for everyone and the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in some of our improvement activities taking longer to implement than planned. Everyone affected by the Grenfell Tower fire deserves to see progress being made on all recommendations as quickly as possible and minimising any delays is a priority to me.”

Photo by ChiralJon, Wikimedia commons.