Fire safety work at tower blocks in Fife town after consultants' report

Consultants were recently commissioned to evaluate work by contractors carrying improvement works to fire stopping at Swan and Memorial Court - and their recommendations will now be actioned.

The council will remove Phenolic Tile External Wall Insulation (EWI) which poses a potentially higher risk, and replace it with a mineral wool-based EWI system as soon as practicable which will also improve the energy efficiency of the blocks. The local authority has a different view on the risks of the substance, but said its “pro active” actions would make the flats warmer and cost less for tenants to run their heating.

Work is ongoing between housing, property and building services to detail options and costs for the proposed replacement, and residents will be brief on the findings today. A housing officer team will be available to answer questions.

John Mills, head of housing, said: “Following the past tragic events in tower blocks in England, we have been working with our tenants to reassure them that they are safe in their homes, and that has been supported with rigorous reassessment to make sure the materials used to clad our buildings is safe.

“The council’s review group has also made a number of improvements such as the installation of sprinkler systems to ground floor areas, the upgrading of doors to 60-minute fire safety and fire alarm connection to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

“However, we are not complacent in relation to the need for effective fire safety and we are always working to enhance standards beyond the current building standards requirements. The risk posed by the existing EWI may be higher with the lack of external fire breaks and we’re keen to fully mitigate these risks as soon as possible.

“We’re visiting all of our tenants and residents to offer face-to-face advice and discussions about any concerns they may have in light of the new information we’ve received.”

The tower blocks are home to a total of 156 households, 78 households in each, and have 24/7 caretaking and concierge coverage by council staff. None of the other 10 tower blocks under Fife Council control are affected by the new information from the consultant - they are already clad with mineral wool EWI and, in the case of one tower block in Kirkcaldy, just about to be fitted with EWI mineral wool tiles in 2024. All of the EWI currently used in Fife is classified as “low risk”, meaning it protects surfaces from the spread of flame and limits the amount of heat released from surfaces during a fire.

Councillor David Ross, leader of the administration, said: “I want to reassure tenants that the course of action we are taking is purely precautionary. Tenants’ safety is our top concern and, in light of the new information contained in the report, we have been working closely with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to ensure that the fire safety measures currently in place are satisfactory.

“We will not compromise on safety standards, and hope the steps we are taking to raise standards further will help to provide additional reassurance to tenants.”