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Scottish government funds waking watch at Glasgow apartment block
A waking watch has been set up at a Glasgow apartment block after fire safety issues were revealed in a fire engineer’s safety report late last year.
According to the Scottish government, which is funding the measure, a team of fire safety experts will provide 24-hour protection at the site until longer-term safety measures are put in place.
The issues at the block came to light as part of the Single Building Assessment programme, the Scottish government’s post-Grenfell cladding remediation drive, which was launched in 2021.
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Shona Robison, Scotland’s housing secretary, said: “We have been engaging urgently with the developers of these buildings. They must step up and take responsibility for work to keep the residents in their buildings safe.
“The safety of residents is our utmost priority. That’s why the Scottish government is intervening now to fund this work and ensure enhanced safeguards are in place as quickly as possible.”
Ms Robison pointed out that negotiations with developers are ongoing and her “sincerest hope” is to find a resolution.
The Scottish government has chosen not to name the building, to protect residents’ privacy, although residents have been informed of the measures put in place.
The waking watch will involve continual patrols of the buildings and grounds so that residents can be given early warning if a fire breaks out.
Last year, guidance from the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) recommended that waking watches be replaced by more-permanent cost-effective solutions as soon as possible, and that 24-hour patrols should be ended “within a month”.
Permanent solutions recommended by fire chiefs include sprinkler systems or common fire alarms.
