Wrightstyle, the advanced glazing supplier, has been raising issues of fire safety for years.  Jane Embury, a director of the company, adds her voice to the outrage surrounding the Grenfell Tower fire.

The outrage that has arisen after the shock of the news of the Grenfell Tower Fire has been seen as another example of a system that appears to codify by catastrophe. The way that regulations for buildings and fires are adjusted only after a major event or fire is reckless, with the system changing in the same way after Grenfell, the government is being called on from a growing number of different parties to explain why the changes weren’t made sooner.

One of Wrightstyle’s directors, Jane Embury has said that it wouldn’t be right to start blaming immediately in the aftermath of the tragic event that has impacted across the country and the world. In contrast to this approach Jane has made an announcement paying tribute to William Linton who died in a tower block fire 18 years ago. This past incident took place in a 14 storey block of flats that were located in Ayrshire, the fire spreading through the external cladding and getting to the 12th floor in a matter of minutes. The fire eighteen years ago destroyed nine floors of the building and took five lives in total, including William Linton.

The Ayrshire fire has a similar story to Grenfell, with the local MP at the time Brian Donohoe who, concerned about the cladding, lobbied for a parliamentary inquiry, which was carried out and concluded that there was no serious threat to property or life in the event of a fire. The report did clarify that there should not be a wait for a serious incident before reasonable steps to minimise the risk are taken.

Wrightstyle extend their thoughts to those affected by the Grenfell Tower Fire and have also said that perhaps the building and fire regulation systems need to be completely rewritten in order to protect against more delays to act in the future.