European Fire Safety Alliance (EurFSA) has published a ten-point “action plan” for fire safety, based on outcomes of the 2019 European Fire Safety Week. EurFSA state that over 5 000 people per year are killed by fire in Europe. Escape times are reduced because smoke has increased “up to 10 times” since the 1980’s, particularly from furnishings, and this is accentuated by low-ventilation energy-efficient buildings. The Action Plan based on out-puts of the first European Fire Safety Week, November 2019, and questionnaire responses of 336 fire safety experts. It responds to the challenges of an ageing population (and the objective of living safely at home), the energy transition and the Green Deal. The ten actions proposed are:
- Establish a European approach to improve the fire safety of the most vulnerable
- Introduce an EU fire safety standard for upholstered furniture and mattresses
- Increase application of smoke detectors
- Improve the functioning of LIP (lower ignition propensity) cigarettes
- Address fire risks of new energy systems
- Raise fire safety awareness through community fire safety projects
- Research into fire safe behaviour
- Put in place coherent EU fire data collection
- Widen the EU FIEP (Fire Information Exchange Platform)
- Improve Member States and industry cooperation on market surveillance
European Fire Safety Action Plan, March 2020 https://www.europeanfiresafetyalliance.org/publications/10-actions-that-will-improve-fire-safety-in-europe/
50 minute video showing the development of smoke from burning furni-ture, presentation of 19 controlled fire tests, 2019 “Practical research on smoke propagation (Oudewater experiments)” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MTOcGTOryU