Yarl’s Wood Blaze: Barbara Roche oversaw Safety Review
published: 18/02/02
No-one knows how many were trapped inside the burning wing, used as “family accommodation”, because a thorough search has not been conducted and the charred remains are now deemed unsafe. For over an hour after fire crews converged on the Immigration Detention Centre in Bedfordshire last Thursday night, Police and Group 4 staff were unable to authorise their access to fight the fire and conduct Search & Rescue operations. When crews finally got in, their work was hampered while Police maintained a “Silver” level security operation. A senior firefighter told LabourNet “It was absolutely atrocious. There must be emergency plans regarding fire, riot, and unrest. Why did it take so long for the plans to be implemented? We expect the authorities to guarantee our security but normally that would happen even before we arrive. Firefighters are even more frustrated because we class this as a ‘persons reported incident’. When people are unaccounted for, we assume they are on the premises until there is a thorough search. This has never been done but the police are suggesting that missing persons must have absconded.” During the blaze, some detainees were herded to a corner of the compound surrounded by barbed wire. One woman stood through the freezing night with her 2 month old child. Bedfordshire County Council had laid on transport and alerted social services, even allocating a school where respite care could be provided. Yet in the event “this was not required”, as the Council delicately puts it. The Fire Brigades Union at both national and branch level are livid as the Home Office ignored pleas from the FBU and the Fire Authority for a sprinkler system at the £100m Detention Centre. Former Minister Barbara Roche MP was directly involved last year as the Home Office considered correspondence from Bedfordshire Fire Authority. On 11 May 2001, writing on Home Office headed notepaper with the footer “Building a Safe, Just and Tolerant Society”, Roche replied to Kelvin Hopkins Esq MP (Luton, Labour): Dear Kelvin, You wrote to me on 7 December 2000 about the installation of fire safety sprinklers at Yarl’s Wood Immigration Detention Centre. In reply, I undertook to write again once the outcome of consultation with the Chief Inspector of Fire Services was known. The issue which you raised is, of course, of considerable importance and I fully understand the concerns you have raised. As a result of your representations, I have asked IND and the Prison Service to review fire safety precautions and the use of sprinklers at all detention centres and prison establishments. Decisions about fitting sprinklers in Yarl’s Wood, and other detention centres, will be taken in light of the conclusions of this review. I would like to reassure you that fire safety is a matter of great importance in detention centres. I attach a list of some of the operational, construction and technological solutions designed to minimise the fire risk and ensure the safety of people in these centres. Thank you once again for raising this issue. I hope that I have been able to reassure you that we are addressing your concerns. Yours ever, Barbara The attached document reads: Immigration Detention Centres – Fire SafetyFire safety in our new centres is designed to rely on the following factors: the construction is highly compartmentalised and designed to prevent spread all the living accommodation is fitted with smoke/fire alarms fire extinguishers are readily available throughout; hose reels in segregated areas inundation points for hoses will be in the doors of the segregated accommodation security doors are activated either automatically and electronically by the fire alarm or within one minute of the alarm to allow detainees access to a secure place of safety all Detention Custody Officers are trained in fire safety procedures the centre is staffed through 24 hours in such a way that a detainee custody officer can be at the scene of a fire in between one minute and three minutes. (Further work is being done to ensure less than three minutes) there are contingency plans in place that include frequent fire safety exercises CCTV surveillance is available in access to all corridors throughout detainee living accommodation detainee induction and familiarisation shall include fire safety procedures (oral, pictorial and by being shown fire routes and exits) safety and control should not be put at risk by misuse of alarms or safety equipment the Fire Service is called automatically after 2 minutes from the alarm sounding there is easy access and hydrant points for the use of Fire Services The correspondence appears with the Fire Authority minutes on an item headed “Fire Sprinkler Campaign,5 July 2001”. “The Home Office didn’t feel the need for sprinklers,” a Bedfordshire FBU member said. “They counted on ‘specially treated fire retardant timber’, automatic fire detection and staffing levels. This clearly affected the safety of firefighters and asylum seekers. Even now, other planned detention centres do not include sprinklers, though no doubt that will change”. At Yarl’s Wood, male refugees have been relocated into the section which did not burn down. There are no sprinklers there either. Viv Smith, of the Campaign to Stop Arbitrary Detention at Yarl’s Wood, commented: “Refugees have told us that they never participated in any fire drills or safety inductions. We’ve also heard that only 2 guards were responsible for an area with 200 detainees last Thursday, which must have compromised safety. “The Home Office dismissed advice from Bedfordshire Fire Authority. It’s time for Barbara Roche, former Home Secretary Jack Straw, David Blunkett and Lord Rooker to accept responsibility. “The Yarl’s Wood tragedy is a direct result of a detention policy which seeks to criminalise innocent people fleeing persecution and violence in their own countries. We call for the resignation of Home Sec. David Blunkett and Immigration Minister Lord Rooker, and the closure of all Detention Centres.”

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