The Challenge of Fire Protection and the London Olympics

1. The Challenge of Fire Protection and the London Olympics BAFSA & IFE (Scotland) Technical Seminar, Edinburgh, 20th January 2010

2. The London Olympic Games and Paralympics' Games will be held between the 27th July and the 9th September 2012. • These will feature both Competition and Non-Competition venues within London.

3. 24 London Venues

4. Competition venues are organised into 3 zones. • The Olympic Park • The Main Stadium • Aquatics Centre • Basketball Arena • BMX Track • Handball Arena • Hockey Centre • Velodrome • The River Zone • The Excel Centre • North Greenwich Arena (O2 Centre) • Greenwich Park • Royal Artillery Barracks • The Central Zone • Earls Court • Horse Guards Parade • Hyde Park • Lord’s Cricket Ground • Regents Park • Other Venues • Wembley Stadium • Wimbledon Tennis Centre

5. Non - Competition venues also include: • The Athletes Village • The four IOC hotels on Park Lane • Media Accommodation • The Main Press Centre and International Broadcast Centre • Gateway Airports – Heathrow, Gatwick, London City and Stanstead • Logistics Centres • Main Transport Hubs • Olympics Route Network • Training Venues and Camps

7. The Main Players: • Government Olympic Executive • The Government Olympic Executive • (GOE) exists to provide oversight • and assurance of the entire • Olympic and Paralympic Programme. • The GOE is the only organisation that • supervises the whole £9.3 billion • public sector funding package.

8. The Main Players: • The Olympic Board • The Olympic Board provides • oversight, strategic coordination • and monitoring of the entire 2012 • Games project, ensuring the delivery • of the commitments made to the • International Olympic Committee • when the Games were awarded to • London, and a sustainable legacy from • the staging of the Games.

9. The Main Players: • Olympic Development Authority • The Olympic Delivery Authority is • the public body responsible for • developing and building the new • venues and infrastructure for the • Games and their use after 2012. • “The Party Provider”

10. The Main Players: • London Organising Committee • for the Olympic Games • LOCOG is a limited company, owned • by the UK Government that will • oversee the planning, development • and staging of the 2010 Summer • Olympic and Paralympic Games. • “ The Party Hosts”

11. The Main Players: • Joint Local Authority • Building Control • The five Olympic borough Building • Control services formed a Joint Local • Authority Building Control team • (JLAB) to provide a single service and • linkage with other relevant • regulatory services

12. The Main Players: • Joint Local Authority • Regulatory Services • Responsible for managing the Regulatory and Community Safety Impact of the Games: • - Food Safety & Hygiene, • - Health & Safety Enforcement, • - Public Health & pollution control • - Parking &Traffic Management • - Entertainment Licensing • - Waste Management

13. The Main Players: • Fire Consultants • Four firms contracted to provide • fire consultancy services to the major • developments on the site. • - Arup's • - Buro Happold • - Jeremy Gardner Associates (JGA) • - Tenos • Each brings a different engineering • approach and interpretation to each • project with regard to code application etc.

14. The Main Players: • Construction Firms • There are a number of main contractor • engaged to build Games venues and • facilities: • Main Stadium – Sir Robert McAlpine • Aquatics Centre – Balfour Beatty • Handball Arena – Buckingham Group • International Broadcast Centre – • Carillion • Velodrome – ISG • Various other firms are building roads, • bridges, underpasses, sewers etc.

15. The Main Players: • Statutory Consultees • This includes a range of stakeholders • including: • - the local boroughs, • - the Metropolitan Police, • - British Transport Police, • - London Ambulance Service and • - London Fire Brigade.

16. The Main Players: • External Technical Reviewers • A design review panel providing • expert advice to the ODA on • proposals for new Games buildings • and spaces. • Focus is on the quality, sustainability • and legacy of London 2012 • proposals. • Reviews include the main stadium, • velodrome and aquatic centre as well • as the Olympic, Paralympic and legacy • transformation master plans.

17. The Main Players: • CLM (Delivery Partner to ODA) • A consortium of three construction • firms – CH2M Hill, Laing O’Rourke and • Mace, • Support the ODA in project managing • the delivery programme for the venues • and infrastructure for the 2012 Games. • CLM’s main role on venues is to • manage the cost of construction.

18. The Main Players: • Safety Advisory Group for • The Olympic Park • The main role of this group is to • provide specialist advice on the event, • venues and immediate environs. • It provides a forum for a co-ordinated • approach across partners and • stakeholders. • It also provides a forum • that can take on other safety and • public functions as agreed.

19. Fire Protection Venue Considerations: • New Permanent Venues • – Built for a long term life span and legacy. • – May have specific modifications for the Games.( Additional temporary seating.) • New Temporary Venues • – Built specifically for the duration of the Games. ( In place a year before and will be • removed in the months following.) • Existing Venues • – May have specific modifications and change of use for the duration of the Games.

20. Fire Protection Venue Considerations: • Whether permanent or temporary, newly built or existing premises, each venue will have the “Olympic blueprint” overlaid on it governed by IOC guidelines. • In addition to the structure of the venues there will be additional facilities required to run the Games and broadcast it around the world. • Much of this equipment will be rented or hired and will likely include temporary constructions, technical facilities, audio and video cabling, Olympic signage etc. • Other elements include tents, fencing, cabins, modular structures, scaffolding and temporary power supplies.

21. Fire Protection Challenges: • Construction and layout of competition venues is governed by specific IOC guidelines and standards requiring alteration of normal operating procedures for venues. • – Venue design including front and back of house layouts • – Access routes and entry guidelines for different groups • – Walking distances to venues seating location prioritieswithin • them. • – Security and access control to all areas. • – queuing, loading and exiting times for different groups. • All of the above can have a considerable impact on the Fire Safety considerations normally in place.

22. London Fire Brigade fire protection involvement to date: • Fire engineers embedded in planning stages for past 2 years. • Central Fire Engineering Support Group involved in all planning applications and oversight of major projects Fire Safety issues etc. • Fire safety support teams in associated boroughs provide liaison, advice and guidance on everyday fire safety and protection issues. • Protection and Prevention workstream groups set up within the main LFB Olympics Project workplan.

23. The Major Venues: • These include the Main Stadium, Velodrome, Aquatic centre and Broadcast Facility etc. • Fire Engineering challenges in early stages arose from negotiating a consistency of approach with each Fire Consultancy regarding code compliance. • Ongoing challenge is to maintain a wide range of relationships with a number of stakeholders with competing interests.

24. The Athletes Village: • The Village will have 11 blocks, which are roughly the same size as a football pitch. • Each block comprises of 6 – 8 buildings built in a rectangular layout around a traditional courtyard space. • Legacy facilities will include: • - 2,818 new homes, including key • worker and low income homes. • - A new education campus • - Parks, public squares and sports • facilities.

25. The Athletes Village: • Village construction is divided into two stages: • Stage 1 – Games Mode Completion by early 2012 ready for habitation by • 17,000 Athletes and Games personnel. • Stage 2 – Legacy Mode Completion by 2020, includes refurbishment of • flats for legacy use, creation of green spaces and • major new commercial development. • Bovis Lendlease • - responsible for all aspects of the project including funding, design and • construction, and marketing and sale of the completed product. • First Base Ltd and East Thames Group • - Lend Lease's affordable housing partners in the project .

26. The Athletes Village: • Blocks consists of “Market Apartments” and “Affordable (social) housing”, 2 affordable blocks and 4 market blocks. • One block, (Plot 9) consists of affordable apartments in a triangular tower and has a fully fire engineered fire protection solution. • Sprinklers incorporated in open plan market apartments with fire engineered flat layout. Sprinklers required due to being over 30 m in height. • Sprinklers omitted in the Affordable apartments which have a code compliant flat layout and are under 30m in height.

27. Fire Strategy Sprinkler Variations: • The Athletes Village • As well as not sprinklering all affordable housing blocks, sprinklers have now been omitted from all market townhouses whether beneath affordable or market blocks. • Floor to ceiling heights in units preclude • The use of such a system. • The service charge costs and disruption • to residents and the HA through regular • servicing, maintenance and replacement • of the system. • Accidental or deliberate breaking of glass • causing extensive water damage for which • the resident isn’t insured.

28. Fire Strategy Sprinkler Variations: • Chobham Academy • Consists of main building with central atrium and two specialist wings. The main • building will be sprinklered but the wings will not. • BB100 design guide has been followed • and shows that sprinklers are • recommended throughout. • The design team have elected however • not to follow this recommendation. • As there is currently no end user for the • legacy Academy school difficulty arises • to find a party with a vested interest to • drive this issue.

29. Other Fire Safety Considerations: • The Games Lead up: • Between 11,000 and 30,000 Construction • staff on site. • - Language issues • - Cultural attitudes towards fire safety • - Unsuitable accommodation • Olympic site layout changes significantly • each week. • - Worker safety and Fire Safety issues • continually monitored.( Acetylene use • highly regulated )

30. Other Fire Safety Considerations: • During the Games: • Sleeping accommodation safety. • - Opportunity Landlords • - Premium and price • Entertainment venue safety • - Licensing inspections and audits • Transportation network fire safety • - LFB Liaison with Rail and LUL • Olympics venue fire safety • - During and in between events

31. Other Fire Safety Considerations: • After the Games: • Ensuring legacy infrastructure is • returned to fit for purpose state. • - Athletes Village • - Chobham Academy • - International Broadcast Centre.

32. Thank You Any Questions