Fire safety concerns raised before VCCC opening ahead of Biden visit
Leaked correspondence has revealed the Victorian government’s fire risk management unit sounded the alarm on safety issues but was sidelined, leading to questions over whether the safety of patients was put at risk for “an expensive stunt with Joe Biden”.
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Fire experts concerned about the safety of the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre were sidelined as its bosses rushed to have it opened by then US vice-president Joe Biden.
In the months before patients moved into the $1 billion hospital in 2016, the state government’s fire risk management unit sounded the alarm on fire safety issues with the landmark building.
Leaked correspondence, obtained by the Herald Sun, reveal concerns were raised with the location of sprinkler systems, procedures to evacuate patients in the event of a fire, and the effectiveness of smoke proofing and detection systems.
One file referred to “significant delays” dealing with issues raised by the department, adding that most “still remain outstanding”.
The fire experts questioned why sprinklers had been left out of X-ray and CT scanning rooms, and pointed out the smoke detection system “will not be compliant” in non-patient care areas.
They said there was no justification for whether enough fire-protected lobbies and lifts were available to safely evacuate patients “in an acceptable time”.
The fire experts also warned of a “significant number of … noncompliances” in the 13-storey atrium.
Combustible cladding had also been identified at the VCCC and had to be removed before patients were allowed inside.
A government spokeswoman said the hospital had “fully met building code requirements prior to its opening in 2016.”
“As with many projects of this size and scale, fire safety planning was undertaken by external fire engineering consultants who provided expert advice throughout the project’s design and construction, to ensure compliance,” the spokeswoman said.
But the Herald Sun has been told Mr Biden’s visit in July 2016 to open the cancer hospital caused internal pressure and meant some processes were not followed properly.
It is understood VCCC project bosses failed to properly consult with the government’s fire protection experts — as required by building guidelines — on crucial safety plans until construction was almost finished.
That also prompted the fire risk management unit to urge the Metropolitan Fire Brigade not to issue a report required by the builders to finalise the occupancy permit for the VCCC.
It is unclear whether that report was completed but the permit was issued.
Opposition planning spokesman Tim Smith questioned whether the safety of patients was put at risk for “an expensive stunt with Joe Biden”.
“The Andrews Labor Government must explain why this hospital was opened to patients and hospital staff when experts remained concerned about this building’s safety,” Mr Smith said.
The combustible cladding at the VCCC was revealed in August 2015. In February 2016, the MFB placed the hospital on its “enhanced response” list, meaning more firefighters and trucks would be dispatched in the event of a fire.
The Herald Sun can now reveal that in the same month, the Department of Health and Human Services was worried it had not received satisfactory compliance statements for the VCCC.
Documents show the fire risk management unit had been waiting a year for responses to queries about the project’s fire engineering report — required to detail prevention and safety measures in place to limit the risk to occupants.
The DHHS unit is responsible for ensuring compliance with fire safety rules and providing “safe and secure buildings for all department-owned and operated facilities in Victoria”.
The Herald Sun sent detailed questions to DHHS about the compliance concerns raised by its fire risk management unit.
A spokesman said: “During construction of the VCCC one panel of non-compliant cladding was identified and replaced, well before the building was commissioned and occupied.”
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The Metropolitan Fire Brigade also did not answer questions about whether it issued the “regulation 1003” report needed for the building’s occupancy permit.
An MFB spokeswoman said the brigade was “involved in the process from a fire safety perspective”.
The government maintained the MFB did not have concerns with the project and had engaged with DHHS, and that the brigade had routinely refused to issue regulation 1003 reports because of issues with the Victorian Building Authority.