Fire safety flaws linked to 14 deaths

Sheriff principal says management of fire safety at Rosepark was ‘systematically and seriously defective’ Fire safety procedures at a care home for the elderly where an electrical fire claimed the lives of 14 residents were “systematically and seriously defective”, a fatal accident inquiry has ruled. In a 1,000 page report published after Scotland’s longest running FAI, sheriff principal Brian Lockhart detailed a series of safety defects at the Rosepark care home in Uddingston, Lanarkshire, that he said contributed to the deaths of the 14 elderly residents in January 2004. Some or all of the deaths could have been prevented if the home had had a suitable fire safety plan in place, he found. The fire broke out in a cupboard of the care home. Ten of the residents died at the scene, and four subsequently died in hospital. The eldest was 98 and the youngest 75. In his report the sheriff principal said staff at the home had not been properly trained in fire safety and fire drills, the maintenance of the electrical installation where the fire broke out was defective, and the management of fire safety at the home was “systematically and seriously defective”. Three of the staff on duty on the night of the fire had been shown a fire safety video once but apart from that none of the staff on duty had received any fire training or experienced a fire drill at the home, and none had been trained to use a fire extinguisher. The sheriff principal said: “The way the staff responded on the night of 31 January 2004 was just what might be expected of staff who had not received adequate fire training and who had, by reason of exposure to false alarms, become complacent. Had the staff been properly trained in a matter consonant with the task that would face them in that emergency situation, they would have behaved quite differently and that, either on its own, or in conjunction with other changes which would have been put in place had the system of fire safety management not been defective, would have avoided some or all of the deaths.” The report noted that vital time was lost when staff took nine minutes to call the fire brigade. The home’s practice meant a member of staff had to find the source of the blaze before calling 999. There was an extra delay of just over four minutes when the fire brigade went to the wrong entrance to the home because the postal address was different. The elderly residents who died were: Dorothy McWee, 98, Tom Cook, 95, Isobel MacLachlan, 93, Julia McRoberts, 90, Annie Thompson, 84, Helen Crawford, 84, Margaret Lappin, 83, May Mullen, Helen Milne, Anna Stirrat, and Mary McKenner, all 82, Robina Burns, 89, Isabella MacLeod, 75, and Margaret Gow, 84. The sheriff principal said that since the fire the lessons of the tragedy had been taken on board by the management of the home and the deficiencies identified “substantially eradicated”. A spokesman for the owners of Rosepark care home said: “Our legal team is studying the determination issued by sheriff principal Brian Lockhart. We have nothing further to add at present.” An attempt to prosecute the home’s owners over alleged safety breaches collapsed in 2007 after a judge dismissed the charges. A second case raised in 2008 was also dropped. The report also found deficiencies in the working of Lanarkshire Health Board with regard to identifying fire risks at the home. The board was responsible for inspecting the Rosepark home between 1992 and 2002. In a statement, NHS Lanarkshire said it would need time to study the report and extended its deepest sympathies to the families and friends of those who died. “While we do not currently have any defined responsibility for fire safety within the independent care sector, in light of the determination we will ensure owners of establishments that we contract with are fully aware of their responsibilities in this area,” the statement added. Scotland Kirsty Scott guardian.co.uk

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