Ministers to consider fire safety rule changes after Rosepark blaze

Ministers will consider drawing up new fire safety rules designed to prevent a repeat of the Rosepark blaze tragedy that killed 14 people.

At the ongoing inquiry into the incident yesterday, a solicitor representing the Scottish Government said there were plans to look at implementing four recommendations contained in a report by Colin Todd, a fire and safety expert who has been investigating the tragedy.

The report calls for mandatory sprinkler systems in areas where vulnerable elderly people are living, encourages care homes to install advanced fire prevention systems and suggests new rules on how risk assessments are carried out.

Douglas Ross, representing Scottish ministers, said: “The Scottish Government is prepared to consider amendments on care home guidance.”

The Government will explore four parts of Todd’s report.

The fire safety expert called for special alarm systems to be fitted in care homes housing more than 10 people. These “addressable” alarms are able to measure data coming from sprinklers, fire alarms or smoke detectors across a building. This information is then displayed on a central screen.

It is suspected malfunctioning scanners may have hindered the Rosepark rescue effort by showing incorrect information and directing rescuers to the wrong part of the building.

Although he stopped short of saying addressable scanners could have prevented the tragedy, Todd said: “These could have been fitted in Rosepark for a ballpark figure of £20,000.”