Havebury’s “groundbreaking” approach to fire safety set to inspire others

May 1, 2012 - PRLog -- Former firefighter Ed Zipfel, who works as Health and Safety Manager at the affordable housing provider, will speak at the seminar at Ipswich East Fire Station next Friday (May 11).  Entitled Building the Safer Suffolk Sprinkler Coalition, the event aims to promote the benefits of fire sprinklers in order to increase their installation in buildings across Suffolk.

Other speakers at the event include Waveney MP Peter Aldous, Suffolk county councillor Colin Spence and Andrew Turner from the Business Sprinkler Alliance.

Mr Zipfel explained that Havebury is committed to fire safety and has a proven track record for its proactive approach.  He said: “We do everything we can to ensure we protect our tenants – from installing smoke and carbon monoxide alarms to producing educational materials.  

“Most recently, we have completed a supported living complex, River House in Haverhill, which benefits from a domestic sprinkler system.  We’re also installing sprinklers at another apartment complex as well as our new offices in Haverhill High Street.

“There are so many benefits to installing sprinklers – they keep the fire in one location giving residents time to escape, while they also minimise the risk of damage to the property.  This means that residents may not need to be rehoused if there has been a fire.”

He added: “Havebury and SFRS have built up a very positive working relationship due to our approach to fire safety.  They see us as a best practice organisation which is really leading the way amongst social housing providers in Suffolk.”

SFRS Prevention and Protection Area Commander Carl Francis echoed this sentiment.  He said: “Through its own volition, Havebury has chosen to be proactive in installing sprinklers to vastly improve the safety of its tenants.  When you consider that people are 57 per cent less likely to die in a fire in a room where a sprinkler is installed, this has made a huge contribution in improving the partnership’s fire protection standards.

“Havebury is groundbreaking in this aspect of its operations – and this made Ed an ideal choice to speak at our event.  We aim to build a coalition of the willing, bringing partners together to influence and encourage others – and would hope that lots of other organisations will take their lead from Havebury’s example.”

Havebury, which has offices in Haverhill and Bury St Edmunds, is dedicated to serving both the existing and future housing needs of people in West Suffolk and parts of Cambridge.  A charity and not-for-profit association, it currently manages 6,000 homes.

For more information about Havebury Housing, visit www.havebury.com or call 0300 3300 900.