Grenfell Tower Fire: Benign neglect and the road to an avoidable tragedy

Making sense of the worst fire in the UK since 1945 can seem like an impossible task given the confusion observed in the media and in the courts since the fire. Tony Prosser and Mark Taylor together have nearly 80 years of experience in the fire and rescue service and bring an insiders’ perspective to the challenges faced by firefighters on the night, and the reasons why such an event was allowed to occur. They consider how a fire safety regime which was one of the most sophisticated in the world failed to prevent 72 residents in a modern building from dying. They consider how legislation has changed, why firefighters are now marginalised by Government despite having reduced fire deaths in the home by nearly 50% in 15 years.