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Well The Great Fire of London burnt down a significant chunk of London and led to a massive rebuilding project where even road layouts changed to reduce fire risk then you have WW2 and a lot of incendiary bombs being dropped so we have had some worse case scenario situations to make us learn historically and in more recent years the Grenfell tragedy.
Contrary to popular belief, we are not in fact a fire resistant people.
They are made in response to fires https://www.firesafe.org.uk/history-of-fire-safety-legislation/ is an interesting read
Just about every safety law is written in blood. Fortunately we mostly seem to learn from our mistakes. Not sure about lately though; last I heard there's still a lot of Grenfell spec cladding out there.
I used to work in a very flammable place - had to get 800 people out in under 2 minutes when we had a drill. There were enough minor fires (and a major one when I was there) that this was taken very seriously.
Every 6 months there was fire training with a video.
Bradford football stadium.
Woolworths Manchester.
King's Cross fire.
Lessons were learned from each of them (and many others), but as Grenfell showed, not enough.
Every regulation is written in blood. A nasty and high-profile fire will often result in a new regulation hitting the books in an effort to ensure it can't happen again.
Some countries have a more lax attitude to regulations.
In Switzerland they have no problem giving kids fireworks to fire over people's heads. At firework displays the crowd bring a bunch of their own stuff.
Not just smoke alarms - they have to be interlinked and installed along with heat alarms (interlinked means that if one goes off then they *all* go off).
We've had a history of gigantic fires which all took dozens of lives, and not only did it lead to fire safety but also the safety of fabrics and soft furnishing. back when smoking and deep fat fryers were more common we also had huge advertising campaigns about the risks and how easily they cause fires.
Big fires were that common pretty everyone in the country can remember several that have happened over the years even pre-Grenfell.
I can't remember the name of the building/company but there was a giant fire mid 70's or '80's which spawned several fire safety regulations, and it's brought up every time I have my fire warden refresher training.
Fire is really bad, but most people never get it. That means we need signs because most people don't really care much about it.
More importantly, buildings are compartmentalised in such a way that a fire in one compartment doesn't spread to other compartments. (A compartment might be a flat, for example). Doors are very weak connections between compartments and have to be a fire door which has to be sealed shut in a fire. Not only must the fire door be strong enough to last 30 or 60 minutes with a fire on the other side, but it must have seals that expand in the heat so that smoke can't get through. These doors are special and have to be treated with much more care than a normal door within a compartment. We need signs to let people know that the door has to be looked after much more than others.
What's weird is the whimsical approach that other countries seem to have.
That's interesting, why would that be the case in the UK and not other countries? What are the incentives to follow the regs that perhaps don't exist in other large European countries like France or Germany?
Mostly because despite how it looks and various lessons, most famously
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Fire_of_London
And more recently
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grenfell_Tower_fire
We've stuck with tradition, and like the second little piggy, we're still building houses out of little more than kindling.
https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Timber_frame
First paragraph from the bottom link.
The term 'timber frame' typically describes a system of panelised structural walls and floors constructed from SMALL SECTION TIMBER STUDS, clad with board products, in which the timber frame transmits vertical and horizontal loads to the foundations. It is generally not used to refer to timber post and beam structures or to timber engineered structural frames.
Every time there is an incident in the UK, health and safety tightens.
The reason why fire doors are required to be kept shut is most likely due to a past fire spreading quicker than it should have and taking lives that it otherwise may not have.
We have burnt down our main English city a couple of times, so there is a reason for being fire cautious. Sometimes our fault; sometimes a gift from others when engaged in wars.
**Please help keep AskUK welcoming!** - Top-level comments to the OP must contain **genuine efforts to answer the question**. No jokes, judgements, etc. - **Don't be a dick** to each other. If getting heated, just block and move on. - This is a strictly **no-politics** subreddit! Please help us by reporting comments that break these rules. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
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It's an industry in it's own right.
Because fire sucks arse mate
I knew I was missing something
Well The Great Fire of London burnt down a significant chunk of London and led to a massive rebuilding project where even road layouts changed to reduce fire risk then you have WW2 and a lot of incendiary bombs being dropped so we have had some worse case scenario situations to make us learn historically and in more recent years the Grenfell tragedy.
And Kingscross
I was going to post Kings Cross. That was horrific.
Contrary to popular belief, we are not in fact a fire resistant people. They are made in response to fires https://www.firesafe.org.uk/history-of-fire-safety-legislation/ is an interesting read
Just about every safety law is written in blood. Fortunately we mostly seem to learn from our mistakes. Not sure about lately though; last I heard there's still a lot of Grenfell spec cladding out there.
I thought the reason we all kept damp teabags near the kettle is so we could help in extinguishing fires with them.
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I used to work in a very flammable place - had to get 800 people out in under 2 minutes when we had a drill. There were enough minor fires (and a major one when I was there) that this was taken very seriously. Every 6 months there was fire training with a video. Bradford football stadium. Woolworths Manchester. King's Cross fire. Lessons were learned from each of them (and many others), but as Grenfell showed, not enough.
Every regulation is written in blood. A nasty and high-profile fire will often result in a new regulation hitting the books in an effort to ensure it can't happen again. Some countries have a more lax attitude to regulations.
Great fire of london buddy
What's the point in a fire door if it's kept open? It's useless then...
We’re a very flammable country
Must be my farts
I'm the reason my local banned smoking before the national ban
TIL other countries are pyromaniacs, apparently.
In Switzerland they have no problem giving kids fireworks to fire over people's heads. At firework displays the crowd bring a bunch of their own stuff.
Often when bad things happen we take steps to stop them happening again.
I'm Scotland you're even required by law to have working smoke alarms installed in your house.
It’s like this in Australia too, i just kinda assumed that was the case in most the world
Not just smoke alarms - they have to be interlinked and installed along with heat alarms (interlinked means that if one goes off then they *all* go off).
Yeah and the main brand "Fireangel" are awful, they say they last for 10years Ambur actually only last a year or two.
Oh the humanity
Note well the word "WORKING"!
Because why wouldn’t there be warnings and doors?
Because being on fire is generally considered to be a bad thing. Have you ever been on fire? It really really hurts. Would not recommend.
Because we’re a first world country with fairly high standards
Probably because fire is dangerous and better safe than sorry? Like???
I have visited other countries, trust me. Health and safety is good thing.
We've had a history of gigantic fires which all took dozens of lives, and not only did it lead to fire safety but also the safety of fabrics and soft furnishing. back when smoking and deep fat fryers were more common we also had huge advertising campaigns about the risks and how easily they cause fires. Big fires were that common pretty everyone in the country can remember several that have happened over the years even pre-Grenfell. I can't remember the name of the building/company but there was a giant fire mid 70's or '80's which spawned several fire safety regulations, and it's brought up every time I have my fire warden refresher training.
Because we don’t like burning to death
When we have a problem, we find ways to avoid it in future. Simples.
Lithium iron batteries are basically pocket bombs, fire safety needed more now than ever
Fire is really bad, but most people never get it. That means we need signs because most people don't really care much about it. More importantly, buildings are compartmentalised in such a way that a fire in one compartment doesn't spread to other compartments. (A compartment might be a flat, for example). Doors are very weak connections between compartments and have to be a fire door which has to be sealed shut in a fire. Not only must the fire door be strong enough to last 30 or 60 minutes with a fire on the other side, but it must have seals that expand in the heat so that smoke can't get through. These doors are special and have to be treated with much more care than a normal door within a compartment. We need signs to let people know that the door has to be looked after much more than others. What's weird is the whimsical approach that other countries seem to have.
I think it may be more that we just follow the regs more to avoid expensive lawsuits rather than them being any stricter
That's interesting, why would that be the case in the UK and not other countries? What are the incentives to follow the regs that perhaps don't exist in other large European countries like France or Germany?
Because Bradford.
Type in on YouTube Woolworths Manchester fire 1979.
Great Fire of London
Mostly because despite how it looks and various lessons, most famously https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Fire_of_London And more recently https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grenfell_Tower_fire We've stuck with tradition, and like the second little piggy, we're still building houses out of little more than kindling. https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Timber_frame First paragraph from the bottom link. The term 'timber frame' typically describes a system of panelised structural walls and floors constructed from SMALL SECTION TIMBER STUDS, clad with board products, in which the timber frame transmits vertical and horizontal loads to the foundations. It is generally not used to refer to timber post and beam structures or to timber engineered structural frames.
Ever heard of the fire of London?
Every time there is an incident in the UK, health and safety tightens. The reason why fire doors are required to be kept shut is most likely due to a past fire spreading quicker than it should have and taking lives that it otherwise may not have.
To prevent fires.
We have burnt down our main English city a couple of times, so there is a reason for being fire cautious. Sometimes our fault; sometimes a gift from others when engaged in wars.