Remembering those affected by the tragic Grenfell Tower fire.

14/06/2018

On the 14 June last year, we awoke to the devastating news of the fire at Grenfell Tower claiming the lives of 72 people, and changing the lives of many more forever.  Today we remember those who lost their lives and their families, those who were injured and the people who tirelessly tried to help.

This tragic event  has changed housing forever and we wanted to talk about some of the things that we have done to make sure that you feel safe in your Origin home.

  • Commissioned the replacement of cladding on one block where it was partially clad in materials of the same type as Grenfell and checked cladding materials on all other blocks to ensure they are safe
  • Continued to make sure that all properties which require one have an up to date Fire Risk Assessment, with more comprehensive assessments now being carried out on all apartment blocks through our newly recruited in house expert team
  • Continued to invested in fire prevention and protection works with £3.5m spent in the last year and a further £8m planned for this year to spend on safety
     
  • For our retirement and supported housing schemes made sure that details of residents and buildings are included in fire protected boxes on site for access by the fire service in the event of a fire
     
  • Continued to carry out personal risk assessments for vulnerable people in our homes in relation to evacuation should it be needed in the event of fire
  • Continued our partnership with the London Fire Brigade to make sure we are applying best practice
  • Have arranged for ‘Waking Watch’ Fire Marshalls to patrol buildings where we need to complete urgent fire safety work until work is finished to ensure residents’ safety
  • Reviewed whether a ‘stay put’ policy remains appropriate to each of our blocks
  • In the future you will be able to see the results of the Fire Risk Assessment for your building, and any changes that we need to make. 

If you have any concerns about fire safety, please get in touch.