Whanganui District councillor David Bennett is "mostly satisfied" the council is doing all it can to ensure its pensioner housing is fire safe.
Mr Bennett asked council officers to clarify the fire safety procedures of the council's 270 flats in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster in London. About 80 people were killed after the high-rise tower caught fire in June.
Mr Bennett owns Pacific Helmets which, among other things, makes safety helmets for fire crews around the world. He describes himself as "on the fringes of the fire safety world".
Read more: Andrew Little against Horowhenua pensioner housing sale
Council tenant tries to write out clause insisting he cleans the flat
It was fire safety that saw Mr Bennett in London the week after the Grenfell Tower fire. He was at a meeting for the International Standards Organisation, which he is a member of.
"The fire was very close to everyone's hearts, and it was certainly talked about a lot."
When he arrived back in New Zealand, Mr Bennett decided he needed to clarify how the council dealt with fire safety for its tenants.
"There were very serious deficiencies in that [Grenfell] tower," he said.
"Our pensioner flats house some of Whanganui's most vulnerable people - vulnerable through age or poor health. So it is our duty to alert everyone to the dangers of fire."
He said Whanganui pensioner housing was very different to the Grenfell Tower, being mostly single-storey houses.
The information Mr Bennett requested was provided to the council property and community services meeting last week.
In his report, council's property team leader, Bill Carswell, said the Grenfell Tower tragedy had "highlighted to the world that councils have a very real responsibility to continue to be proactive and ensure robust mechanisms towards safety are in place within their social housing portfolios".
He said property staff had been working with fire and building compliance advisers to ensure that each unit has a fire evacuation procedure plan and assembly point.
The report said each unit had photoelectric smoke detectors which were checked annually by Whanganui Fire Service.
However, units don't have fire extinguishers, regular evacuation drills or designated wardens.
Mr Bennett said he was "mostly satisfied" with the answers he'd received.
"I am concerned there is no fire contact point, or warden, at the flats. We don't want to encourage people to rush into a burning building - the first priority is to get everyone out."
Mr Bennett said he would continue to monitor the situation.
"The next step will be to have a chat with the new fire chief, Gary Ward, and I hope to do that within the next week."