When a fire started, it managed to use that cladding to send the entire building to next to nothing in a timeframe so quick that the Fire Brigade, of which tenders arrived from all over London, couldn’t even begin to react.
Let’s remember then the facts:
– The people who designed the cladding are facing no manslaughter charges
– The people who signed off on council spending on this cladding are facing no manslaughter charges
– The company that owned the block are facing no manslaughter charges despite it being up to them to devise an adequate fire plan
– The Fire Brigade worked tirelessly and in absolutely deadly conditions to try and save lives despite the inferno around them where they could easily have retreated
– The Fire Brigade numbers were cut and stations closed, a decision that we are unlikely to ever know to what extent it hampered response times
– The Fire Brigade did not have the resources it should have had to tackle tower fires despite previous ‘close calls’ including in the Borough of Southwark
No matter what the people at the top say, I am proud to stand by the Fire Brigade. With little care for their own safety in a situation developing faster than they could have imagined, they still managed to save lives. Those who died did not die because of the London Fire Brigade. They died because of systematic failures in local Government and private industry that allowed deadly cladding to be used that ultimately killed people.
DO NOT BELIEVE WHAT YOU READ. The Fire Brigade are heroes. I’ve met some of them who responded and who spoke so highly of the initial Commander. I stand with them. I stand against Government who are desperately seeking a public service to blame.
Nicholas David Hare
