Fire safety technology expert, FireAngel, has developed a roundtable with delegates from the National Social Housing Fire Strategy Group, Ealing Council, and Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service, to discuss a digitally powered, fire safety evolution for housing associations.
Viewers can gain insights into the current fire safety landscape for housing associations, what’s driving change and innovation in the fire safety world and what the near future will look like.

Following the Grenfell fire tragedy, those responsible for fire safety were struck with a heart-rendering wake-up call; organisations did not have the golden thread of information about their buildings or know enough about their residents.

Today, advancements of the Internet of Things (IoT) and in artificial intelligence (AI) are driving technological innovation in housing associations and strengthening the golden thread of information for buildings. However, there is a general risk-aversion and need for greater understanding and collaboration among stakeholders to accelerate progress.

Fire and rescue services are still heavily reliant on upstream referrals from agencies, such as ambulance services and housing providers, but with more data and better collaboration, more fires can be prevented. To access the potential of innovative technology, key stakeholders need to buy-in to these solutions.

Ealing Council is one of the first social housing providers in the UK to adopt IoT technologies to improve the levels of protection it provides its tenants. Its roll-out of FireAngel devices in around 14,000 homes has enabled the organisation to gather data on trends and high-risk patterns of behaviour to prompt earlier intervention before an actual fire event.