Client:Zurich Municipal
Campaign:Compulsory installation of sprinklers in schools

The challenge

Approximately 2,000 schools in the UK are damaged by fire every year, of which 75% are believed to have been caused by arson. It is estimated that the cost of school fires in England, Wales and Scotland totalled £74 million in 2006 - a £7 million increase on the previous year. Schools are prime targets for arson attacks because the perpetrators are often past or present pupils of the school who are familiar with the site, and the level of intruder protection and detection in schools has traditionally been low. Despite the clear benefits of sprinklers, there are less than 300 systems fitted in 30,000 UK schools, and in 2006 not one of the schools suffering a large fire was fitted with a sprinkler system.

Solution

Zurich Municipal is a market leader in school insurance and has campaigned for nearly a decade to make the installation of sprinklers in new schools mandatory. This is because:

• Sprinklers have a proven track record and are 99% effective in controlling fires, normally with fewer than five sprinkler heads operating. There have been no fire deaths in the UK in a building fitted with a fully maintained sprinkler system
• The school will be back in action the same day, not two years later which is a typical rebuilding period
• Schools are becoming more difficult to insure because of the worsening loss record. A sprinklered school is a far more attractive proposition to a wider insurance market
• A sprinkler system can reduce school building and insurance costs

Mandate worked with Zurich in 2006/07 to make the case for sprinklers in schools to officials in the Education Department and to interested MPs and other key stakeholders. A twin-track approach was undertaken – working with the DfES (now the DCSF) on the one hand but briefing MPs and Peers in Parliament to help demonstrate wider support for the issue. A coalition was formed to push for sprinklers in schools, which included Chief Fire Officers and leading teaching unions.

The lobbying process prompted a large number of Parliamentary questions, Early Day Motions and letters to the relevant ministers. Zurich also put its risk management expertise at the Government’s disposal to try and come up with a workable solution. Eventually, after a significant campaign, an Adjournment Debate was secured in the House of Commons where the Government committed to fitting sprinklers in all new schools.

Result

All new schools will now be built with sprinklers, protecting children and property from fire – the only exceptions will be a tiny number of very low-risk schools.