Home / Inquiries / Grenfell Tower Inquiry / P1-31
← P1-30 P1-32 →
P1-31

Require evacuation alarm systems in high-rise buildings

Grenfell Tower Inquiry · Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 1 Report · Issued 30 October 2019 · Addressed to: UK Government

Government responseUK Government: Accepted in part (Jan 2020)

DeliveryHome Office says completed (Feb 2025)

Recommendation, verbatim from the inquiry

●Inquiry recommendation, 33.22d

All high-rise residential buildings (both those already in existence and those built in the future) be equipped with facilities for use by the fire and rescue services enabling them to send an evacuation signal to the whole or a selected part of the building by means of sounders or similar devices.

Grenfell Tower Inquiry, Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 1 Report · 30 Oct 2019 Source PDF →

Published evidence summary

AI-generated evidence summary

In February 2025, the Home Office reported this recommendation as complete, stating that statutory guidance now requires evacuation alert systems in all new residential blocks over 18 metres (Home Office, Feb 2025). The department explained that limited evidence on system effectiveness was not sufficient to justify mandating retrofits for existing high-rise residential buildings at that time (Home Office, Feb 2025). It also noted that fire and rescue services had completed policies and training for high-rise evacuations alongside broader fire safety improvements (Home Office, Feb 2025).

Sources

Home Office, Feb 2025

AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 26 Sep 2026.

Government response

●UK Government · Accepted in part · 21 Jan 2020

Words of: HM Government (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government), Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 Report: Government Response, January 2020 (published on GOV.UK 21 January 2020)

Sir Martin’s report found that the landings in Grenfell Tower were not clearly marked, which hindered fire fighters’ ability to find floors. As a result, he recommended that all high-rise buildings’ floor numbers are clearly marked and visible in low light and smoky conditions on each landing.

Prior to the publication of Sir Martin’s report, alongside proposals for sprinklers, MHCLG’s consultation also sought views on proposals to improve wayfinding signage within blocks of flats. It also included proposals to introduce a new type of alarm system to assist the Fire and Rescue Service to evacuate such buildings. This approach is also something Sir Martin has recommended.

Response document: Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 Report: Government Response

Site note: This is the government's response to the Phase 1 report (CP 209, 21 January 2020). It is organised by theme, not by recommendation, and states its position once, in its introduction: "the Government accepted in principle all these recommendations", meaning the recommendations "relevant to government". Where the row shows a passage from a themed section, that is the section on this recommendation's subject; where it shows the introduction, the response has no passage on this recommendation's subject. The status on a recommendation addressed to government is the introduction's. Where the recommendation is addressed to building owners, the emergency services or the National Police Air Service, the response describes work without stating acceptance, and the row is marked noted.

Site note: The source gives this passage once, for the section "Evacuation alert systems and internal signage". The same words are recorded on P1-31 and P1-35.

Delivery

●Home Office says completed · 26 Feb 2025

Status: complete

Statutory guidance has been updated to provide for Evacuation Alert Systems in all new blocks of flats over 18 metres, to enable fire and rescue services to send an evacuation signal to the whole or a selected part of the building by means of sounders or similar devices. The limited evidence on the effectiveness of the system is not sufficient to justify mandating retrofitting of evacuation alert systems into existing high-rise residential buildings at this time. There have been significant improvements in the broader fire and building safety environment since the Phase 1 report, and fire and rescue services have completed policies and training for partial and total high-rise building evacuations, meeting a separate Inquiry recommendation which have increased overall safety of evacuations and reduced fire-related injuries.

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 (0)

●Home Office · 16 Sep 2024

Status: In Progress

The Government has delivered this recommendation for new builds, through amendment to statutory guidance to the building regulations in relation to high-rise residential building design (requiring sounders to be fitted in new buildings over 18 metres in height).

The Government will consider further the second part of the recommendation, relating to existing buildings, in light of further evidence or recommendations in the Phase 2 report. This will, like other work on fire safety improvements nationally, be part of the important task of reducing the likelihood and impact of future fires.

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 Feb 2024

Status: In progress

The Government agrees that these three measures identified by the Phase 1 report - wayfinding signage, evacuation alert systems and sprinklers - need additional consideration. In May 2020, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities published amendments to Approved Document B (ADB) to recommend sprinkler systems and consistent wayfinding signage in all new blocks of flats with storeys over 11 metres tall. A further update to ADB, announced by DLUHC on 1 June 2022, has been introduced so that new residential developments over 18 metres in height will have to incorporate evacuation alert systems.

The NFCC has developed guidance and training packages to support the introduction and use of British Standard (BS) 8629 compliant Evacuation alert systems. 53% of services (23 services) have used this product to train their staff.

The LFB has implemented training for relevant operational staff relating to evacuation alert systems and considers this action complete from a Brigade perspective.

The Home Office is currently developing an evidence base of existing evacuation alert systems in high-rise residential buildings. This will inform the next step of work, addressing evacuation alert systems in existing high-rise residential buildings.

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.

How this page is built

The recommendation and the government responses are verbatim from primary documents. Delivery statements and other bodies' findings are shown in their own words, each with its source. The summary is written by this site and labelled as such. The Index does not paraphrase sources or characterise intent; it records what has been published.