Over the past 3 years following the Grenfell Tower fire, hundreds of Jewish tenants like Michael (pictured above,) as well as non-Jewish tenants, have found themselves powerless to stop the landlord removing the fire extinguishers from the corridors of their sheltered accommodation.

The landlord has removed the fire extinguishers from all tenant floors across its 16 sheltered housing schemes of 448 homes, across London and the Southeast. These homes have a single entry-point but no fire doors.

Some of the tenants affected are pensioners like Michael who has advanced cancer and has suffered 2 strokes.  Other tenants are younger people with physical and learning disabilities.  They can’t change their landlord’s mind alone, but its one-size-fits-all-healthy-people approach is not fit for purpose.

Give a donation and help provide a solicitor to help get the fire extinguishers put back, along with person-centred fire-safety measures for each tenant, before another disaster like the Grenfell fire happens.

Who am I?

My name is Ella and I’m one of the younger tenants living here. Unlike my neighbours I’ve been to university and have a legal background, but I have a chronic illness which causes fatigue, and severely restricts my mobility. My neighbours have serious health problems, including cancer, diabetes, obesity, speech and hearing impairments, and age and stroke related infirmity.  We’ve been unable to persuade our landlord to put the fire extinguishers back.

Summary 

The exterior of one of the buildings has cladding. A Person-Centred Fire Risk Assessment Form has been falsified.  The landlord has removed the fire extinguishers and refused to make its Fire Safety Audit available for scrutiny.  We need legal representation to compel the landlord to respect the post-Grenfell fire safety regulations, and make the homes of these vulnerable adults safe.

You can make a difference!

“Why won’t the landlord put the fire extinguishers back? It’s terrible”.

A tenant is 94 and has had 4 hip replacements. He cannot evacuate safely on his own.  A fire extinguisher put back near his flat could help a neighbour save his life before the fire brigade arrives.

Michael has advanced cancer and is dependent on his wife and round-the-clock carers for his survival. With a person-centred fire evacuation policy in place his wife could get him to safety if a fire broke out.

Another tenant is a pensioner who’s had 2 strokes and can no longer speak. A court appointed independent fire safety expert could assess his fire safety risks, and help persuade the landlord to install assistive technology to help raise the alarm in the event a fire breaks out in or near his home.  A fire extinguisher put back near his home would also help him or a neighbour save his life.

Another tenant is hearing and visually impaired and suffers with diabetes and sleep apnea.  With an expert, independent fire risk assessment, and the fire extinguisher put back near his home, he too could have the right fire safety measures put in place to help save his life should a fire break out while he sleeps.

Next Steps

Please donate now. £4,000 is the target.  Your donation will help provide a solicitor who will start the legal process by writing to the landlord in the first instance.  He or she will help get the fire extinguishers put back, ensure person-centred fire safety measures are installed, and help give these vulnerable tenants the peace of mind that their homes are fire-safe.  Thank you for making a donation!