The United Nations ratified the very first International Fire Safety Standard (IFSS) Common Principles. For the first time in history, the world has a standard that all those involved in constructing, managing and maintaining buildings can use to keep people safe. That is a tangible achievement and one in which RICS can take pride.
It is, of course, shocking that it has taken until 2020 for such a standard to have emerged, and it is deeply sad that it took a tragedy for it to happen. But the truth is that it took the Grenfell Tower fire for governments around the world to wake up and take fire safety seriously. Other recent fires in other places could—should— have galvanised action, but didn’t. The events of 14th June 2017 changed everything.