Recommendation P1-2: Train fire personnel on external wall fire risks
From Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 1 Report, published 30 October 2019.
Recommendation
All fire and rescue services ensure that their personnel at all levels understand the risk of fire taking hold in the external walls of high-rise buildings and know how to recognise it when it occurs.
In brief (written by this site)
In February 2025, the Home Office reported that delivery of the recommendation was complete, relaying National Fire Chiefs Council confirmation that all 43 fire and rescue services had reviewed training and trained all relevant staff using its products, while the London Fire Brigade had also trained all operational and control staff (Home Office, Feb 2025). In September 2024, the department had reported progress as ongoing, with Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service being the only service with the training still outstanding (Home Office, Sep 2024).
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 26 Sep 2026. The record below is the sources' own words.
About this summary
This recommendation applies across many organisations. The record reflects central policy activity; adoption in individual organisations may vary.
Government response
The government accepted in principle all the Phase 1 recommendations directed at central government. The Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick presented the formal response to Parliament on 21 January 2020, committing to swift and decisive action including new duties on building owners and managers to provide information to fire and rescue services, install premises information boxes, conduct regular inspections of lifts and fire doors, and equip buildings with evacuation signal facilities. The government stated it had already taken action in advance of the report and was actively looking beyond the remit of these recommendations.
Delivery
Home Office says completed (26 February 2025)
Status for fire and rescue services: complete
The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) report that to fully address recommendation 33.10b, fire and rescue services should review all training products to ensure that the hazards associated with external wall system failures are identified, including those related to Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding, are covered, and then carry out training and assessment of all staff on how to identify control measures to respond to the hazard of fire spread in external wall systems.
All 43 services have completed this recommendation and have trained all relevant staff using NFCC products. This includes updated NFCC guidance and a suite of building information sheets to help services embed the lessons associated with fire spread on external walls of high-rise buildings.
All services have reviewed their training.
The NFCC has produced a number of guidance documents and training materials to support services. These cover:
High rise residential buildings and building failures
Impact of fire or firefighting on structural elements or structural frames
Impact of fire or firefighting on structural materials
Partial or structural collapse: Fires in buildings
External fire spread
Undetected fire spread
Fire spread breaching a compartment
Fires in buildings greater than 18m
Status for London Fire Brigade: complete
The LFB has reported that it has completed recommendation 33.10b. All of the Brigade’s operational and control staff have received training to recognise and understand the risks involved in fires taking hold in the external walls of high-rise buildings and how such risks may be mitigated to enhance the safety of the public and firefighters.
From: Progress against the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 recommendations, February 2025
Site note: This is the Home Office's thematic update on progress against the Phase 1 recommendations. Its introduction says it includes updates from the relevant government departments and assurances received from the National Fire Chiefs Council, London Fire Brigade and other emergency services on their progress. The status line and the passage are the Home Office's compilation of what those bodies reported to it; where the passage gives a status for fire and rescue services and a separate one for London Fire Brigade, both are shown as printed.
Earlier statements on delivery (2)
Home Office (16 September 2024)
Status for fire and rescue services: In Progress
The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) report that to fully address recommendation 33.10b, fire and rescue services should review all training products to ensure that the hazards associated with external wall system failures are identified, including those related to Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding, are covered, and then carry out training and assessment of all staff on how to identify control measures to respond to the hazard of fire spread in external wall systems.
42 out of 43 services have completed this recommendation and have trained all relevant staff using NFCC products. This includes updated NFCC guidance and a suite of building information sheets to help services embed the lessons associated with fire spread on external walls of high-rise buildings.
Gloucestershire FRS is the only service to have this recommendation outstanding and is scheduled to have completed it by autumn 2024.
All services have reviewed their training.
The NFCC has produced a number of guidance documents and training materials to support services. These cover:
High rise residential buildings and building failures
Impact of fire or firefighting on structural elements or structural frames
Impact of fire or firefighting on structural materials
Partial or structural collapse: Fires in buildings
External fire spread
Undetected fire spread
Fire spread breaching a compartment
Status for London Fire Brigade: complete
The LFB has reported that it has completed recommendation 33.10b. All of the Brigade’s operational and control staff have received training to recognise and understand the risks involved in fires taking hold in the external walls of high-rise buildings and how such risks may be mitigated to enhance the safety of the public and firefighters.
From: Progress against the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 recommendations, September 2024
Site note: This is the Home Office's thematic update on progress against the Phase 1 recommendations. Its introduction says it includes updates from the relevant government departments and assurances received from the National Fire Chiefs Council, London Fire Brigade and other emergency services on their progress. The status line and the passage are the Home Office's compilation of what those bodies reported to it; where the passage gives a status for fire and rescue services and a separate one for London Fire Brigade, both are shown as printed.
Home Office (5 February 2024)
Status for fire and rescue services: In progress
The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) report that to fully address recommendation 33.10b, fire and rescue services should review all training products to ensure that the hazards associated with external wall system failures are identified, including those related to Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding, are covered, and then carry out training and assessment of all staff on how to identify control measures to respond to the hazard of fire spread in external wall systems.
In October 2023, the NFCC surveyed all fire and rescue services (with the exception of the LFB) in England about their progress against this recommendation:
93% of services (40 services) have completed this recommendation and have trained all relevant staff using NFCC products. This includes updated NFCC guidance and a suite of building information sheets to help services embed the lessons associated with fire spread on external walls of high-rise buildings. This represents a 2% increase from the previous NFCC survey completed in March 2023.
All services have reviewed their training.
The NFCC has produced a number of guidance documents and training materials to support services.
These cover:
High rise residential buildings and building failures
Impact of fire or firefighting on structural elements or structural frames
Impact of fire or firefighting on structural materials
Partial or structural collapse: Fires in buildings
External fire spread
Undetected fire spread
Fire spread breaching a compartment
Fires in buildings greater than 18m
Please refer to page 43 for further information on how the Government is seeking assurance on recommendations directed to fire and rescue services.
Status for London Fire Brigade: Complete
The LFB has reported that it has completed recommendation 33.10b. All of the Brigade’s operational and control staff have received training to recognise and understand the risks involved in fires taking hold in the external walls of high-rise buildings and how such risks may be mitigated to enhance the safety of the public and firefighters.
Please refer to page 41 for further information on how the Government is seeking assurance on recommendations directed to the LFB.
From: Progress against the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 recommendations, February 2024
Site note: This is the Home Office's thematic update on progress against the Phase 1 recommendations. Its introduction says it includes updates from the relevant government departments and assurances received from the National Fire Chiefs Council, London Fire Brigade and other emergency services on their progress. The status line and the passage are the Home Office's compilation of what those bodies reported to it; where the passage gives a status for fire and rescue services and a separate one for London Fire Brigade, both are shown as printed.
Responsible bodies
Themes and tags
Who has spoken
- UK Government
Response - Home Office
Delivery statement