A History of Fire Safety and Variblast’s Role

Fire protection has evolved for nearly a thousand years – and so has the responsibility to get it right.

This graphic traces the major milestones in fire-safety legislation, from the Great Fire of London to the latest reforms following the Grenfell Tower tragedy. Understanding this history explains not only how modern standards came to be, but why strict compliance is essential today.

As specialists in surface preparation and the removal of both outdated cementitious fireproofing and modern intumescent coatings, we support clients in meeting these evolving regulations with confidence. Our expertise ensures that structures are safely stripped back, fully prepared, and ready for compliant, high-performance fire protection systems that align with the expectations of today’s Building Safety Regulator.

Whether upgrading ageing assets or preparing new works, we bridge historical insight with modern best practice – helping ensure that every coating applied today stands up to the lessons learned over centuries of fire-safety development.