Mr Bryn Studwick, Fire Investigation Manager, Surrey Fire & Rescue had this to say in his evidence to the inquest.
" I think if the curtain had been put up in the correct way and performed as they were designed to, I think we would have been looking at a slower fire spread along the roof.
the evidence i have heard would lead me to say that almost certaibly these fire curtains were not fitted correctly and were damaged.
I would suggest that has to mean that the fire spread more rapidly.
If they were not correctly fitted, I would question what is the point of them if they are not going to slow the fire down?"
About Peverel understands that following repairs to the fire curtains, a contractor
who should have checked the integrity of all the fire curtains, simply put his head in the loft and took photographs which he sent to Mr Barry Everitt, Head Of Technical Services, who on the basis of those photographsatisfied himself that all was well.
Subsequently it was revealed to the inquest that the contractor did not undertake a proper inspection be cause he had a "bad back"
Mr Everitt must have known of the appalling reputation that Peverel/Firstport appointed contractors had. after all it had been well documented on public forums.
Shoddy work over painting is one thing.
Accepting as safe, photographs of a section of fire curtains that people's lives depend on is not.
Mr Everitt is culpable for the death of Irene Cockerton.
If Mr Everitt had simply asked for photographs to be supplied to him showing all the fire curtains, he would have seen that they were not fiited properly and that they
were damaged.
He was in a position of great authority and responsibility. He knew the dangers posed by faulty fire safety curtains.
Despite this he failed to act in a manner that could reasonably be expected of a person in his position.
