A fire broke out on the eight floor of The Fifth Apartments, a 44-storey residential apartment building on the corner of Rose Lane and Lonsdale Street, Melbourne late last year.
The only problem, no fire alarms went off and panicked residents noticed the smoke and started to knock on as many doors as possible notifying neighbors.
Hundreds of residents evacuated the residential complex late at night and waited downstairs not knowing the extent of the fire.
No fire alarms – Rose Lane and Lonsdale Street
The Melbourne fire brought back memories of the Grenfell London Tower Fire in 2016, where for weeks after the tragic fire, emergency services still had no idea how many residents lived in the complex and if any residents are missing. Several millions of dollars was spent by the British Parliament into an inquiry whilst identifying combustible cladding as the cause of the fire, that emergency fire training is the best way to minimize damage to property and injury to occupants.
How can Strata Alert technology assist in a similar situation?
Strata Alert is the easiest way that all owners and strata manager stay up to sate for all their strata concerns. A customized property web and app platform used every day to report strata issues, contribute in groups and respond to any strata manager messages.
However, there is a property feed which could have been used in the above situation where no fire alarms went off. Every occupant has smart phones to access the property feed. Once occupants start to post on the property feed, more and more people would notice the urgency of the situation.
Furthermore, occupants could have immediately notified their strata manager on Strata Alert by raising a “Ticket”. The property Strata Manager can instantly keep everyone updated in real time on the progress of the fire as information became available.
What are the chances in the future, that people knocking on doors is going to keep everyone up to date or out of harm’s way? Luckily, everyone evacuated, and nine fire trucks and an aerial appliance fought the blaze under control just before 11 am.
Using award-winning Strata Alert technology is a better way to communicate. Easy access to information can only lead to making more informed decisions. Information must be mobile and using smart technology is another option available to occupants in vertical buildings.
