The Safety Letterbox Company (SLB), has added to its portfolio of Secured by Design accredited products with the newly launched Secure Information Box (SIB) having achieved Police Preferred Specification. 

In the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy and Dame Judith Hackitt’s subsequent report, a transformation has taken place in the law surrounding building safety across the UK.  

The Safety Letterbox Company meeting requirements

The Safety Letterbox Company has recently launched a tested and certified high security product which could help ensure the safety of residents in an emergency. 

The introduction of the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 (which became legislation in January 2023) marked a milestone, heralding a new era of heightened safety measures and responsibilities, particularly for high-rise and multi-occupied residential buildings. 

These regulations are a proportionate response to the risks posed by fires in high-rise buildings.  

They extend beyond high-rise residential buildings, also imparting responsibilities on medium and low-rise buildings where necessary.  

In addition, the regulations introduced newly enforceable responsibilities for building owners or managers, referred to as “responsible persons,” under the Fire Safety Order. 

What are the regulations?  

The regulations state that: 

For high-rise residential buildings (a multi-occupied existing residential building at least 18 metres in height or 7 or more storeys and new buildings over 11 metres), responsible persons must: 

• Share electronically with their local fire and rescue service (FRS) information about the building’s external wall system and provide the FRS with electronic copies of floor plans and building plans for the building 
• Install wayfinding signage in all high-rise buildings which is visible in low light conditions 
• Establish a minimum of monthly checks on lifts which are for the use of firefighters in high-rise residential buildings and on essential pieces of firefighting equipment 
• Inform the FRS if a lift used by firefighters or one of the pieces of firefighting equipment is out of order for longer than 24 hours 
• Keep hard copies of the building’s floor plans, in addition to a single page orientation plan of the building, and the name and UK contact details of the responsible person in a Secure Information Box (SIB) which is accessible by firefighters 

Efficiency  

“We committed to the creation of a SIB to the highest specification to ensure that the built environment has a product that is tested, certified and can deliver information vitally when it is needed,” said Alison Orrells, CEO and MD of The Safety Letterbox Company.  

“Working with test bodies and fire authorities we have thoroughly explored the needs and demands and what is required to ensure that building residents and occupiers are provided with the best and most efficient service by fire fighters in emergency situations. 

“Our SIB is a highly robust product that gives fire services the information and efficient process that saves time and enables responsible persons to safely store updated information.  

“It ensures that all those who manage, own or occupy buildings have peace of mind, knowing that information which could be absolutely vital in saving lives and buildings is safely and securely stored in a SIB tested to the highest standards and conditions.  

“We are extremely proud of this commitment and skill demonstrated by our team and investment made in this product, fully made in our factory in South Wales.” 

SIB’s are now mandatory  

Formerly known as Premises Information Boxes, which were non-mandatory, the role of the Secure Information Box (SIB) is to provide firefighters with everything they need to know to help them make decisions quickly – from floor plans and access routes to information about vulnerable residents and materials used in the building’s construction. 

Typically, an SIB should conform to STS 205 BR2 for external and internal use and be a clearly identifiable, high security A3 box with master keys held by the Fire Service.  

It contains important information (a full list of recommended SIB contents can be found within the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022) that could make the difference when attending an emergency situation, including floor plans, on arrival information, residents’ information including vulnerable or disable residents and the current evacuation strategy, as well as building materials and key contacts. 

For responsible persons, failure to comply could now mean legal action, fines, or even imprisonment.  

For new buildings, it translates to a potential delay in occupancy or development progress – and scenarios where residents are left without homes and developers without returns on their investments.  

Failure to comply has potentially fatal consequences too. 

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