Sometimes the terminology we use can have a dramatic effect on the way things can be perceived by those less familiar than ourselves with the technological meaning and nuances of the words and the way they are assembled. As an example, the Ministry of Transport could declare a specific make of car to be a 'higher risk vehicle' or the Department of the Environment, Fisheries and Food may declare that the Maris Piper is a more dangerous potato than the King Edward. While both could be theoretically true, the person on the street could start to panic if they own a higher risk vehicle or ate King Edwards at every Sunday lunch. In a similar way fire officers' public pronouncements that buildings which are built in a certain way are not safe can lead to less informed individuals to believe that they live in "death-traps". Recent comments regarding the viability of the widely criticised 'stay put' policy threatens to cause serious consternation amongst those living in high-rise blocks of flats. This can create a real problem for fire and rescue services which now have to manage expectations that a "normal" fire within a high-rise block now constitutes such a risk that evacuation of large parts of the block is essential with all the potential challenges that entails. Higher risk high-rise buildings (HRHRB) is another term that may lead to concern for those who have to live there. In recent months, fire safety inspectors have examined 216 buildings in London and cancelled the 'stay put' policy within those buildings. This creates a problem for the landlords, tenants, fire and rescue inspectors and not least, the government.
展开▼
