That’s if you don’t mind me burbling on about my street?
Here …
That video’s the result of many things.
Partly? It’s a response to the Grenfell Tower fire: today’s the first Anniversary, so you know.
But ALSO … ?
If you don’t mind me being blunt, it’s ALSO a response to the area I’m in.
I live in Brentwood: near the station.
My particular part of the area has — as I feel the video shows— always been heavily congested: with parked cars impeding any emergency vehicle access.
That’s something that’s been concerning me for the decade I’ve lived here.
And something — if memory serves — that also affected emergency vehicle access around Grenfell Tower, this time last year.
The congestion is something I thought — initially — wouldn’t last long. The other end of Rollason Way was still a building site, when I moved in.
How long, I asked myself, would it stay a building site?
About three years, as it turns out.
Now … ? The congestion’s being caused — mostly — by parked cars and delivery vans …
And the building work around the corner.
The more things change …
~≈§≈~
That’s ONE thing.
The other?
We have what’s called a ‘stay put’ policy in place.
In other words? In other words, if a fire breaks out in one of the flats on Rollason Way, other people are supposed to stay in theirs.
The compartmentalisation in these buildings is supposed to protect us.
One thing I DO know? Is that the Grenfell Tower enquiry has highlighted the fact that — when it was refurbished a few years ago — the various works done affected this compartmentalisation: meaning the fire spread faster.
The blocks, here, haven’t been refurbished: they’s still relatively new.
But?
That was enough for me to contact my landlord: to see if the policy was to be reviewed.
I’ve not heard back.
Oh, I’ll contact my landlords.
And possibly the fire brigade.
But it is rather worrying …
~≈§≈~
As is one final thing.
RIGHT now, the BBC are reporting a fire in a block of flats in Lewisham.