Blaze-hit block at Lytchett Minster school had no sprinklers

8:59am Wednesday 2nd January 2013 in News

Blaze-hit block at Lytchett Minster school had no sprinklers Blaze-hit block at Lytchett Minster school had no sprinklers

THE creative arts block destroyed by fire following a lightning strike at Lytchett Minster School was not fitted with a sprinkler system, the Echo can reveal.

The blaze last Thursday gutted the building and the head teacher has said pupils cannot return until the site has been made safe. It is expected that the walls will have to be demolished for safety reasons.

The block opened in 2003 and was one of the replacement buildings added to the site after an arson attack destroyed about half of the school three years earlier.

David Roe, Dorset County Council’s buildings and design manager, confirmed that no sprinkler system had been fitted, but added: “The building was constructed in full compliance with Building Regulations and there was a lightning conductor protection system on the roof, compliant with the British Standard.”

After the fire took hold just after 6am, it appeared to spread rapidly.

Although head teacher Stuart Clark has said he would like the popular block rebuilt as it was, its structure may now come under close scrutiny.

Mr Roe said: “There was no loft space as such in the building – most of the rooms were open straight up to the sloping roof, so it was not possible to divide the roof up into sections, other than by the natural division of rooms arranged into octagonal clusters.

“The theatre itself would have been a separate fire compartment.

“Structural engineers will be visiting the site to inspect the building more closely. They will determine its safety in the short term and consider longer term proposals for its reconstruction.”

Comments(13)

STudor says...
9:20am Wed 2 Jan 13

The first fire in 2000 went undetected for hours because the alarms were not linked to the fire service. With no caretaker on site to raise the alarm, the fire was devastating. There was no proper insurance in place either. The fire cost Dorset County Council millions and ended hopes for desperately needed building projects at other schools.

Now we hear that this new building did not have adequate fire protection systems! Who is picking up the bill this time? The Dorset tax payer? Will other schools suffer again?

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Reader Echo says...
9:38am Wed 2 Jan 13

There is an interesting .Gov website that mentions sprinker systems in Schools:

http://www.education
.gov.uk/schools/admi
nandfinance/schoolsc
apital/buildingsandd
esign/environmental/
a0010980/fire-safety
-for-schools

‘In March 2007, Jim Knight, the then Minister of State for Schools and Learners, announced the Department's expectation that all new schools would have sprinklers fitted. Any exception to this must be justified by demonstrating a school is low risk and that the use of sprinklers would not be good value for money.’

But never mind the taxpayer will pick up the bill to rebuild it again.

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CourtOffside says...
9:50am Wed 2 Jan 13

The building got hit by 200 million volts. Sprinklers wouldn't have done any good.

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Some people... says...
9:53am Wed 2 Jan 13

Block built in 2003, guidance issued 2007. Still nice try at, what...

'Those Dorset Council officers, they should be able to predict the future. Why didn't they know that the regulations would be changed 4 years after we built the block'

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benjamin says...
9:54am Wed 2 Jan 13

The fire at Lytchett Minster School Arts Block started in the roof by a lightening strike. As the pictures all show, the roof was completely and quickly destroyed. No sprinkler system could have saved this building in these circumstances.

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STudor says...
10:26am Wed 2 Jan 13

Sprinklers would probably have done little. Though better fire separation could have slowed things down.

It would clearly be a mistake to replace like with like just so that it matches the Grade One Listed Manor House (now little more than an office block). Building costs at Lytchett are at least 50% higher than for other schools. Dorset County Council should face reality: basing a secondary school around a Grade One listed building is an expense we cannot afford. It all looks very pretty - croquet lawns, grand offices, rose gardens, etc. Let's have a grown up conversation about whether selling the site and relocating the school to a more sensible location is more cost effective.

Who picks up the bill this time? Did Dorset CC choose to self insure this one? What are the implications for other schools?

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STudor says...
12:06pm Wed 2 Jan 13

Apparently, the Lytchett site is leased from an aristocratic family. What happens at the end of the lease? Does DCC have to return the site back to its original Downtonesque state? Will all but the former South Lytchett Manor have to be bullzoded? How long is there left on the lease? Is it really cost effective to rebuild this school in the manner to which the Headmaster is accustomed?

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roamer100 says...
12:38pm Wed 2 Jan 13

STudor wrote:
Apparently, the Lytchett site is leased from an aristocratic family. What happens at the end of the lease? Does DCC have to return the site back to its original Downtonesque state? Will all but the former South Lytchett Manor have to be bullzoded? How long is there left on the lease? Is it really cost effective to rebuild this school in the manner to which the Headmaster is accustomed?
It is absolutely important the school is re-built to a high standard. What pride will they have in a concrete soleless cube of a building. Give our young people an environment to be proud of and MOST will respect it and be proud of it. This will ultimately lead to achievement and better behaviour. This is where we have gone wrong and should be investing countrywide. Can we afford it? Probably not but perhaps if we start investing in peoples future rather than supporting the scroungers and "guests" to our country then one day we will see society turn around. Having watched the video's of the aftermath, there is clearly a pride in this school!! Alythough I do wonder what possessed parents to allow/take their kids to see the site during the fire amazes me. One particular female student on the video's was particularly irritaing with "her" loss being so severe ( yet she still mamanged to have the thought to take a big camera round her neck!!!). Lets be glad no one was hurt as bricks and art work can be replaced!!!

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roamer100 says...
12:38pm Wed 2 Jan 13

STudor wrote:
Apparently, the Lytchett site is leased from an aristocratic family. What happens at the end of the lease? Does DCC have to return the site back to its original Downtonesque state? Will all but the former South Lytchett Manor have to be bullzoded? How long is there left on the lease? Is it really cost effective to rebuild this school in the manner to which the Headmaster is accustomed?
It is absolutely important the school is re-built to a high standard. What pride will they have in a concrete soleless cube of a building. Give our young people an environment to be proud of and MOST will respect it and be proud of it. This will ultimately lead to achievement and better behaviour. This is where we have gone wrong and should be investing countrywide. Can we afford it? Probably not but perhaps if we start investing in peoples future rather than supporting the scroungers and "guests" to our country then one day we will see society turn around. Having watched the video's of the aftermath, there is clearly a pride in this school!! Alythough I do wonder what possessed parents to allow/take their kids to see the site during the fire amazes me. One particular female student on the video's was particularly irritaing with "her" loss being so severe ( yet she still mamanged to have the thought to take a big camera round her neck!!!). Lets be glad no one was hurt as bricks and art work can be replaced!!!

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sea poole says...
12:40pm Wed 2 Jan 13

STudor- were you 'downstairs' in the squire's employment...?

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Arjay says...
12:46pm Wed 2 Jan 13

As others have said, sprinklers would have done little to protect the building in this instance, once the fire had taken hold in the roof.
It would have also been difficult to fit a typical sprinkler system, to a building that effectively had no ceilings!

The recommendation for new school buildings in England to include sprinklers is quite recent. If the rebuilding here does require sprinklers to be included, then I suggest the plans used for the current building will probably not be suitable for the replacement building.
So, if sprinklers are to be included in the new building, it will mean new plans, more expense, more delay......

And how long is the lease for?......

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alan mdransfield says...
6:29am Thu 3 Jan 13

I bet my bottom dollar that this school had not been provisioned with adequate Lightning Protection Systems (LPS) and Lightning Risk Assessment(LRA).

Shortcuts in LPS & LRA is common practice by local authorities these days and the burnt -out shell is the price we pay.
I have been in dispute
with my local council (Devon County Council(DCC) since 2005 where I have identified LPS faiures at schools,college thru-out Devon.
I have brought such matters to the attention of the Devon Fire Authority who have informed me," LIGHTNING RARELY CAUSES SERIOUS FIRES" ??!!.
Both the Devon CC &the HSE have placed me under a lifetime email ban for raising such issues.

I attended an Upper Tribunal Court Hearing (FOI) last month and I am currently awaiting the decision which relates to the LPS/LRA to a local LARGE Rugby Stadium and Numerous Schools in Devon.
By the grace of god, nobody was killed or injured at this Dorset School but how much longer can this GOOD FORTUNE LAST. It is only a matter of time before BODY BAGS are used at a school or public building Nationwide.
Questions must be asked.
1.Was adequate LPS/LRA provide?.
2.Why did the fire spread so quickly?
3.Why did the fire alarm not work?
4.Why were sprinklers not fitted?
No doubt the Taxpayers will pickup the bill for the rebuild which surely be needed.

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fairlylocal says...
3:26pm Thu 3 Jan 13

As they said on BBC news last night, the lightening struck the very top of the roof... way above any sprinkler system even if there had been one.

The decision not to put a sprinkler in was because the water pressure in this area was too low to support one.

the more you know.

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