searching off guidelines

[ian gough]

Fireftrm: just for the record, Sun Valley was not a cold store.
I do, however, suspect that sandwich panels were a feature in the Bristol fire but a lot of information doesn't seem to have emerged from that tragedy (unlike in H & Worcs). No doubt this is because the HSE waded into H & Worcs but strangely not Avon.

[fireftrm]

Definitley no sandwich panels in Bristol, it was a two-storey buiulding supermarket in a row of shops, traditional construction.

Yep Sun Valley was a food prep factory, part correction agreed. However the Corbett block (where the fire occured) was a meat processinga nd cold storgae facility. The latter being the reason that insulated sandwich panels were used in its construction.

[ian gough]

We're in danger of veering off of the thread; however, sandwich panels are used much more extensively than in just cold or chill stores. I therefore challenge the veracity of your last comment above.
Also: are you sure the ceiling in the supermarket was not composed of sandwich panels?

[fireftrm]

No I am not, but their use in existing standard buildings is hardly normal now and would have been less so 10 years ago. This was not a new build supermarket, it was a long standing one and the likely ceiling (being as it was in a standard shopping row like any estate area) would have been painted, or suspended ceiling tiles. Having studied it duringa JOA at Moreton the primary reasons for the tragedy were a flashover (contents/lowish ceiling height) and the confusion over location/guideline/hosereel. There were also problems due to the fire attack at the rear with attack/entry at the front at the same time meaning poor ventilation for the fire gases. this may have contributed to the flashover.

[ian gough]

Fireftrm: thanks for that information. However, please be advised that it is increasingly normal to have sandwich panels installed in existing 'standard' buildings. They're even making houses with them now!

[fireftrm]

I know and also that they are unlikely to be LISP and also more often than not of a fire retardant/non-combustible filling nowadays.

[rips]

Sorry Billy, shouls have added UK to the comment about PPV deaths. Know internationaly there have been problems with PPV