Innovating fire safety: A digital transformation journey with Lambeth Council

Challenge

Fire safety is a critical issue for local authorities, who have a legal obligation to conduct fire risk assessments on all social housing properties. These assessments require collecting and analysing a large amount of data on the building characteristics, fire hazards, fire protection measures, and fire emergency plans. The assessments also generate a list of remedial actions that need to be assigned and completed by third-party contractors to ensure the safety of the residents.

However, the process of conducting and managing fire risk assessments is often inefficient and error-prone. Local authorities typically use paper-based or spreadsheet-based templates, such as the British Standard PAS 79 document, to record and store the assessment data. These templates are not standardised, integrated, or user-friendly, and they create challenges for data quality, security, and accessibility. Moreover, local authorities have limited visibility and control over the remedial actions, as they rely on manual communication and coordination with multiple contractors. This can result in delays, inconsistencies, and liabilities for local authorities.

Lambeth Council, one of the largest local authorities in London, recognised the need for a digital solution to improve the fire safety assessment process. The council commissioned Rapid, a leading provider of digital transformation solutions for the public sector, to review the process and develop a customised product that would meet the council’s needs and objectives.

Approach

Rapid followed a user-centric and agile approach to deliver the product, involving the following steps:

• Understanding stakeholder needs
  Rapid conducted workshops with key stakeholders, such as fire safety officers, housing managers, contractors, and residents, to understand their challenges, expectations, and preferences.
• Critical process identification and system integration
  Rapid identified 15 essential fire safety assessment processes and integrated key databases and enterprise systems, such as the housing management system, the fire safety policy, and the fire safety action plan. Rapid used API connections to enable seamless data flow and ensure a single version of truth.
• User-centric prototypes
  Rapid developed prototypes, including mobile apps and intuitive dashboards, using Rapid’s low-code platform. Rapid incorporated live data and user feedback to align the designs with user objectives.
• Integration of multiple systems
  Rapid integration of various systems to streamline processes and eliminate redundancies. Rapid enabled automatic pre-population of crucial information, such as property details, fire hazards, and fire protection measures, to enhance the speed and accuracy of the assessments.
• Real-time assessments with the mobile app
  Rapid created a mobile app that enabled real-time on-site assessments. The app allowed assessors to input data instantly and flag urgent issues as they arose. The app also generated a list of remedial actions and assigned them to the relevant contractors. The app expedited the assessments and ensured prompt action, bolstering the safety measures.
• Automated third-party service provision
  Rapid applied automation to third-party service provisioning for issue resolution. The app notified the contractors of the assigned actions and tracked their progress and completion status. The app also verified the quality and compliance of the completed actions. Automation not only saved time but also reduced human errors, ensuring rapid resolution of fire safety hazards.
• Customised dashboard for enhanced visibility
  Rapid developed a tailored dashboard that consolidated and visualised the integrated data. The dashboard provided management teams with real-time insights into the workflows, pending assessments, and associated risks. The dashboard also displayed fire safety performance indicators and reports. The dashboard helped decision-makers proactively manage risks, allocate resources efficiently, and ensure the timely completion of assessments and remedial actions.

Impact

The Fire Safety solution for Lambeth Council delivered remarkable outcomes for the Fire Safety team as well as for the council and the residents. The solution improved communication with all stakeholders, enabling seamless and secure information exchange and feedback. The solution also enhanced visibility over the status of the workflow, allowing real-time monitoring and reporting of the fire safety actions and their completion. Moreover, the solution provided the opportunity for data insights, enabling data-driven decision-making and performance evaluation.

The solution also leveraged automation to streamline and expedite the fire safety assessment process. The solution automated the data collection, validation, and analysis, as well as the assignment, tracking, and verification of the remedial actions. The solution reduced the manual work and errors and increased the speed and accuracy of the assessments.

The solution also enabled Lambeth to conduct more fire assessments with the same teams, improving fire safety coverage and compliance. The solution ultimately improved the quality of life for the residents, ensuring their safety and satisfaction.