David Simpson, Group Product Director at Drax Technology, says digital transformation in fire safety isn’t just overdue – it’s now essential.
Eight years on from Grenfell, the lessons for developers and operators of large-scale residential buildings remain painfully clear: poor record keeping, fragmented oversight and unclear accountability can have devastating consequences.
As the Build-to-Rent (BTR) sector continues its rapid expansion – now managing more than 130,000 completed units across the UK – the challenge is not just scale but transparency.
“The financial side of homebuilding is often discussed, but the physical and mental excursion required to manage safety often comes as a surprise,” says Simpson.
TRANSPARENCY AND TRACEABILITY
“Fire safety depends on transparency, traceability, and having real-time access to the right information. If records are incomplete or spread across systems, the risks multiply.”
From the golden thread requirements of the Building Safety Act to the rise of predictive AI in building management, Simpson argues that fire safety has shifted from a compliance obligation to a board-level concern.
Digital systems are replacing clipboards and spreadsheets, bringing the kind of real-time visibility once reserved for financial performance dashboards.
Q: What lessons from Grenfell are most relevant to developers and operators of large-scale residential buildings today?
Grenfell is a devastating reminder of what can happen when record keeping is inconsistent, oversight is weak, and accountability isn’t clear.
Fire safety depends on transparency, traceability, and having real-time access to the right information. If records are incomplete or spread across different systems, the risks multiply and in the Build to Rent sector, where operators have long-term responsibility for residents’ safety and trust, that risk is even greater.
The Building Safety Act 2022 was designed to fix this. It places a legal duty on developers, building owners and operators to maintain a ‘golden thread’ of digital information of a building’s design, construction, and ongoing safety management.
That’s why moving to a digital-first approach is so important for fire safety. Hunting down paper files or piecing together information from siloed systems is outdated and leaves too much room for error.
With a digital compliance platform, everything stays in one place, locked, auditable and trusted as the single source of truth.
Real-time alerts and a complete log of every alarm, test, fault, and maintenance action means operators always have a clear view of what’s happening across their portfolio, supported by robust records to back it up.
Q: Fire safety is a top concern in BTR and large-scale residential developments. What are the unique challenges this sector faces compared to traditional housing?
Scale changes everything in BTR. The UK BTR sector now manages over 132,296 completed units, with 51,216 more in the pipeline (Q2 British Property Federation, 2025) – these are large numbers.
When portfolios stretch across multiple buildings, mixed-use spaces, and thousands of units, the complexities are huge.
Ownership often sits with pension or wealth funds so transparency and auditability across a building’s management aren’t just nice-to-haves, they’re essential.
Then there’s the resident experience to consider. People moving into BTR apartments expect hotel-style service and false fire alarms ringing in the middle of the night will quickly impact their experience.
How does technology help manage fire safety across large, complex residential portfolios which may be dispersed over different cities with varying types of building such as new-build or converted buildings?
Technology removes the chaos. Different building types with different fire safety systems can feel fragmented, but the right tech pulls all the strings together. Fire doors, alarms, and sprinklers can sit under the same consistent framework, whether the portfolio includes a brand-new high rise as well as a converted Victorian building.
Risks are spotted early on because technology can track performance across sites, and there’s evidence to hand for regulators, insurers, or investors.
The C-suite gets a clear view of risk and compliance across the whole portfolio while facilities managers can log and track every detail on the ground. Everyone sees what they need but it all comes from the same trusted place.
Q: How do you see digital fire safety records becoming a standard expectation in property management?
Digital systems will become the norm with the Building Safety Act pushing the industry in that direction. C
lipboards and tick-sheets no longer cut it, especially for large, complex portfolios. Once operations go digital, everything becomes visible across the facilities team and up to the boardroom. It’s about more than compliance – it’s about managing risk, protecting assets, and building trust.
Regulation isn’t the only driver. Lenders, insurers, and investors now demand clear digital records, knowing the catastrophic financial and reputational risks of a fire.
There’s also a community benefit here because technology helps residents live more safely together. If someone disables alarms or system faults exist, the platform flags it so action can be taken, a win for operators, investors, and residents.
Q: Many BTR schemes promise ‘hotel-style living’, how can fire safety tech enhance the resident experience?
BTR schemes like to offer hotel-style living but being dragged out of bed at 2am by yet another false alarm is far from premium-living.
The best fire safety tech ticks along quietly in the background. Residents don’t need to see the nuts and bolts, they just want to feel safe without giving it a second thought.
Digital systems cut down on false alarms, ensure doors and alarms are checked when they should be, and flag up any faults straight away so they get resolved.
Q: What do you think is the next big flex in this area? Will we see AI start to play a part?
Absolutely. Until now, systems could only tell you when something had already gone wrong, which made the industry reactive by nature.
But that’s changing. Technology can now recognise patterns and early warning signs before they become problems, helping teams act early rather than respond late.
By adopting these tools, the sector can automate the flagging of risks, schedule first-time fixes, and keep every part of a building’s safety record up to date all without the need for constant chasing.
AI will take that even further. It won’t just predict; it will become prescriptive, recommending what to do next and why. Over time, we’ll move toward autonomous systems that can adapt and respond in real time, with people still firmly in control of the big decisions.
That’s the real shift I see: from compliance as a tick-box exercise to a living, intelligent process that protects residents, saves time, and builds trust.
Q: What motivated you to focus on fire safety technology in residential property?
Previously I’ve built tech solutions for various sectors but they need to have purpose. Fire safety has always had a bit of a ‘tick-box’ reputation and has been something people complain about paying for but rarely think about until it’s too late.
Then Grenfell happened and this perception changed. Suddenly, it was clear how critical this sector really is and there’s a real chance now to change things for the better with tech solutions.
It’s not just about saving lives, it’s about keeping communities safe, protecting people’s homes, and looking after assets.
