Building safety commitment

Following the Grenfell tragedy and forthcoming new safety standards, there has been an understandable rise in concerns about high-rise building safety. As a result, more waking watches are being recommended and used.

A waking watch is a system where specially trained people continually patrol all floors and the outside of the building. The purpose of this is to detect a fire, raise the alarm, and manage any evacuation.

If the waking watch identifies or is told of a fire incident they will attend immediately. They will assess the situation, and if required, call the Fire Brigade. They will support residents to evacuate and liaise with the Fire Brigade when they arrive.

The use of waking watch reduces the time from when an incident is confirmed, to building evacuation, to around 10-15 minutes. 

The team is always available to residents and can be contacted by phone with any safety issues or with questions.