Wrexham Mineral Cables (WMC) has called on contractors and installers to play their part in improving building safety by increasing their understanding of the performance capabilities of fire-resistant cables. The leading UK manufacturer of ‘fire-resistant’, or what they prefer to call ‘Fire Survival’, mineral insulated cables says it is vital they recognise the stresses real-life fire scenarios have on ‘fire-resistant’ cables so they can identify products that will truly withstand a critical situation. In order to meet the requirements of a fire-resistant cable, products must meet the British Standard appropriate to their type of fire-resistant cable, such as BS50200, BS8434, BS8519 and BS6387. All of these standards have a variant of time and temperature the cables are tested at under fire conditions, ranging from a 30 minute rated cable tested at 830oC to a three hour rated cable tested at 940oC. However, Wrexham Mineral Cables Commercial Manager Steve Williams says building safety could take a step forward if contractors and installers play a more active role in delivering change. Moreover, says the Company, this will require an increased awareness of the tests individual products undergo in order to obtain their fire resistance certification. For example, only ‘fire-resistant’ cables that are greater in diameter than 20mm must undergo testing for direct impacts and water testing with any significant pressure on a single test sample. For ‘fire-resistant’ cables under 20mm, different stages of the test are carried out on different samples of cable, whilst exposure to water is minimal. He commented: “There has been a real drive across the construction industry to make everybody in the supply chain more accountable throughout the various stages of the building’s existence. Fire survival cables are a vital component of building safety, yet because there is a lack of understanding about the important role they play in keeping buildings safe, all too often inferior cables are installed. The sad reality is these cables are not likely to be adequate in the event of a fire, putting lives at risk. “In an era of greater accountability, there should be no compromise; we can no longer aim for minimum compliance to get the job done.  Whilst we believe there should be a higher classification of cables introduced to identify those which can survive, rather than simply resist fire, greater understanding of performance capabilities, particularly amongst contractors and installers, would go a long way to ensuring high performance products were used in every project. “As a market leader, we are committed to raising standards and are working hard to educate people – whether they are just starting out in their career or have many years’ experience – about the benefits of specifying ‘true’ fire survival cables. It is for this reason we offer training to students and experienced contractors – showing how we make and test our cables and demonstrating how they compare to other products – so they can be sure they are using a solution which is fit for purpose.” For more information, call 01978 810789 or email sales@wrexhammineralcables.com.

A leading manufacturer of fire resistance cables believes building safety could remain a ‘ticking time bomb’ if product testing for fire cables is not strengthened. For many years, Wrexham Mineral Cables has been calling for more stringent testing standards as it believes too many cables are classified as fire resistant yet are not fit for purpose in real-life fire scenarios. Under current standards, only ‘fire-resistant’ cables greater than 20mm in diameter undergo testing for direct impacts to reflect falling debris and water jet testing on a single test sample. For ‘ENHANCED fire resistant’ cables under 20mm, no direct impact test takes place, and the water test is just a spray test, whilst different stages of each test are carried out on different samples of cable. Wrexham Mineral Cables believes this is putting lives at risk. It comes at a time when London’s Fire Commissioner Andy Roe has called for urgent change in the building industry as the number of blocks of flats in London with fire safety failings is now more than 1,000. Whilst a majority of the issues are due to cladding, the remainder have other fire safety defects, and in all of these buildings, LFB has suspended its ‘stay put strategy’. Wrexham Mineral Cables Commercial Manager Steve Williams says testing needs to be strengthened for all fire-resistant cables as part of the construction industry’s wider drive to improve building safety. He commented: “ENHANCED fire-resistant’ cables play a fundamental role in ensuring that emergency and building critical systems are supportedin the event of a fire. Not only do they provide early indication of a fire, they keep them safe whilst providing extended time for rescue services to evacuate occupants and ensure critical circuits remain functional for longer periods. This is particularly critical in high rise buildings where evacuation times can be extensive or hindered due to the sheer size of the building. “The tests which construction products are subjected to need to be relevant and relied upon. It is extremely concerning that ‘ENHANCED fire-resistant’ cables most commonly being used in fire alarms, emergency lighting, extraction systems, monitoring systems or even backup generators may not survive fire, water, and direct impact. If this remains the case, building safety will remain a ticking time bomb.” Mr Williams says Mineral Insulated Copper Cable (MICC) is the only fire performance cable that, in historical testing, has survived over 1000˚C, whilst being subjected to direct hammer blows and a full water pressure test using a fire hose. Samples tested have been measured at just 5.7mm in diameter and maintained circuit integrity for over 3 hours. He added: “We remain committed to raising industry standards. And the only way to achieve this is by introducing a higher classification for such products. The Government’s review of current systems for testing construction products was a step in the right direction, but more needs to be done to ensure the safety of buildings. Regardless of size or construction, if a cable is required to function in the event of a fire, each single cable sample must have to pass a true fire scenario test, helping identify those which can survive, rather than simply resist fire.  Ensuring that the tests which construction products are subjected to are relevant and can be relied upon is the only way we can make buildings truly safe.”

A leading UK manufacturer of fire-resistant mineral insulated cables has called for unidentified fire safety hazards to be put under the spotlight, or else, it says, more lives could be put at risk. Last month, the UK government set out a five-point plan to address unsafe cladding issues including an additional £3.5 billion in funding for the removal and replacement of cladding on buildings over 18 metres in height. This was welcomed by the Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP); however, the ASFP did not believe it went far enough and should be made available to cover all identified defects. Wrexham Mineral Cables is adding weight to the ASFP’s arguments. The company believes it is the identified issues – such as the installation of inferior fire-resistant cables – which need to be put under the spotlight and addressed in order to make tall buildings safe. For many years, Wrexham Mineral Cables has been calling for more stringent testing standards as it believes too many cables – which have been installed in buildings across the country – are classified as fire resistant and yet are not fit for purpose in real-life fire scenarios. Steve Williams, Commercial Manager at Wrexham Mineral Cables, commented: “Whilst we welcome calls to look at all identified fire safety hazards, we believe the call for change needs to go much further. Sadly, there are simply too many cables classed as fire resistant but that would not be adequate in the event of a fire, as the tests do not represent real-world conditions. All over the UK, this is putting lives at risk. Higher classification needed “We strongly believe there should be a higher classification of cables introduced to identify those which can survive, rather than simply resist fire. There should be no compromise, and as an industry we can no longer aim for minimum compliance to get the job done. Whilst legislation such as the Building Safety Bill will make everybody in the supply chain more accountable throughout the various stages of the building’s existence, we can only truly make buildings safe by identifying all possible hazards, and ensuring that the tests which construction products are subjected to are relevant and can be relied upon.” Wrexham Mineral Cables contributed to the call for evidence by the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety led by Dame Judith Hackitt, and has lobbied the UK Government for their support in calling for more stringent tests.