In the wake of June’s Grenfell tower disaster in London, which claimed the lives of around 80 people, a special Victorian Taskforce interim report last week identified 1,400 buildings with flammable cladding, including eight hospitals.
But rather than the Grenfell tower disaster prompting caution and vigilance, some Melbourne building operators have instead turned fire alarms off to save on costs associated with false alarms. From the Herald-Sun:
A Metropolitan Fire Brigade alarm system audit of about 25 significant buildings in the city has found about half of buildings checked were not connected to the brigade.
Sources close to the fire service say it is suspected rogue building operators are routinely unlinking fire alarms in an attempt to avoid call-out fees…
Sources say the practice of disabling alarms has increased in recent years…
Only in Australia…
