FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
Wrexham Mineral Cables (WMC) is calling for better building safety standards through the use of fire survival cables before more lives are put at risk.
The UK cable manufacturer’s call to action comes after the recent fire in a residential tower block in Dagenham, east London, which required the evacuation of 80 people. The incident occurred just weeks after a blaze at the historic Somerset House.
According to WMC, these high-profile fire events underscore the urgent need for building designers and specifiers to identify and install appropriate cables that can survive – not just resist – real-life fire scenarios.
Currently, specifiers are presented with a choice between polymeric cables and mineral insulated copper clad (MICC) cables. Due to the existing testing regime, both cable types are classed as fire-resistant, creating a misleading impression of equivalence. However, MICC cables have consistently demonstrated superior performance and proven to perform to higher safety standards in ‘real fire’ scenarios.
In 2023, WMC published a white paper ‘Expecting the unexpected: specifying safety-critical circuit cables for fire survival’ outlining how cables – often an overlooked component of a building’s system –directly impact building safety. The paper advocates for the introduction of a higher classification of fire survival cable, which can continue to power critical circuits in the event of a fire.
Colin Hughes, Group Manager at WMC, commented: “Last year, the UK Government introduced stricter building regulations in England as part of new secondary legislation to implement the Building Safety Act. Sadly, recent events in London remind us that buildings of all types remain at a high risk of fire, and we must take every measure to ensure their safety.
“Fire survival cables are a vital component of building safety, yet they often remain an unrecognised hazard. Due to the lack of understanding about the important role they play in keeping buildings safe, all too often inferior cables are frequently installed, which may prove inadequate in the event of a fire. This uncertainty can only be addressed when all fire-resistant cables, regardless of size or construction, are subjected to true fire scenario tests.”
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