Kriti Mehrotra
Netflix’s ‘Grenfell: Uncovered’ dives deep into the realities behind the tragic June 14, 2017, Grenfell Tower fire. It incorporates not only archival documents and footage but also exclusive interviews with survivors, witnesses, and experts alike to really underscore what transpired and why. Amongst those to be significantly mentioned in this original is Brian Martin, a high-ranking civil servant who could have possibly prevented this heinous event from ever happening.
Brian Martin Has No Formal Fire Safety or Technical Qualifications
Brian Martin reportedly hails from a rather middle-class family. The Englishman admittedly never wanted to pursue a business career, yet he’d found a calling in the blue-collar industry by the time he graduated from high school. According to records, he pursued a diploma in Building Control Surveying, following which he kickstarted his career by joining the Westminster, Tower Hamlets, and Dartford-area councils. Therefore, Brian’s first job comprised surveying local structures based on safety and reviewing specific fire strategies for the different projects being planned in these areas. He was only formally trained as a surveyor, but he was able to expand his wings over time by taking on more workload in similar disciplines/fields and subsequently proving his mettle.
That’s when he was able to land a spot at Building Research Establishment (BRE) in 1999, the recently privatised national testing centre that still had a contract with the government. Brian’s reputation by this point had resulted in him being given some big responsibilities within weeks, only for him to thrive to such an extent that he was soon handed a more stable role. Then, in 2008, he was promoted to Principal Construction Professional, after which he was ultimately able to take on the position of Head of Technical Policy for Building Regulations. Little did anybody know that as the primary individual to whom many reported their concerns, he could have possibly prevented the Grenfell Tower fire if he’d just listened; something he admitted himself.
Brian Martin Was Being Warned About Dangerous Cladding Panels For Years
According to Brian’s statements during the inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire, he was first told about cladding panels that caused “raging infernos” if they ever caught fire in 2001. However, he claimed he failed to realize the significance of this message as the details of the fire test “just got missed,” despite everything being explicitly laid out for him in e-mails. Furthermore, he was also often warned about tall buildings across the globe being engulfed in flames after a specific type of cladding served as the spreading component, but again, to no avail.
In fact, as per reports, Brian had a cavalier stance on such cladding even following the tragic Lakanal House fire on July 3, 2009, that resulted in the loss of 6 innocent lives, including 3 children. This incident gave way to a coroner’s inquiry, at the end of which the coroner wrote a letter to the higher-ups in the government and the fire brigade, calling for a change in fire safety regulations. Yet, this high-ranking civil servant internally indicated no action needed to be taken because the law didn’t require them to do what she advised – he penned it in an e-mail as “we only have a duty to respond to the coroner, not kiss her backside.”
As if that’s not enough, per the documentary, when Celestine Cheong of the Fire Protection Association directly asked Brian what needed to happen for him to effect change, he was crude. He allegedly told her the government won’t do anything at all until there are deaths, following which he reportedly also told one of her colleagues, “Where’s the evidence? Show me the bodies.” Just a few years later, the lack of clear regulations, as well as continued use of cladding panels made from aluminum sheets with a highly combustible polyethylene in the middle, resulted in the fire at Grenfell Tower spiraling out of control.
Brian Martin Continues to Serve as a Fire Safety Expert
When Brian was asked to come in to testify for the public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire in 2022, he reportedly did so without hesitation and admitted that he had a role to play. “Over the last few months, I have been looking through the evidence,” he candidly said. “Um… it became clear to me that there were a number of occasions where I could have potentially prevented this from happening. As a result of that, I ended up being the single point of failure in the department… For that’s something I’m bitterly sorry.” Many survivors and experts don’t agree with his statement of being “the single point of failure” since other people/organizations were responsible for the cladding manufacturing and use, but his remorse was appreciated.
Coming to Brian’s current standing, it appears as if he was promoted to Head of Technical Policy for Building Regulations 5 months after the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017. However, by the time 2021 rolled around, he was moved to the Planning Department and then “encouraged” to find a new role owing to the fact that his past had started coming to light. Thus, today, in his late 40s, it seems like Brian serves as an Independent Fire Expert. A family man through and through, this London resident has reportedly learned from his mistakes and is determined to do better. Today, he is working to the best of his capabilities while keeping the new government regulations in mind.
Read More: Eddie Daffarn: Where is the Grenfell Fire Survivor Now?
