European Commission JRC survey concludes that fire safety engineering (FSE) is only partially implemented across Europe and that more work is needed to enable performance-based methods for fire design, to develop supporting standardisation, design scenarios and criteria. Responses from 32 European countries indicate that although FSE methods are in most cases available and authorised, prescriptive methods (criteria for different materials) are more generally applied, rather than a holistic FSE approach looking at the whole building system, despite wide recognition that an FSE approach is necessary to enable innovative building design and new construction techniques and materials. Prediction of fire, smoke and evacuation depend mainly on international standards and national regulations. Qualifications required for FSE practitioners and reviewers are very variable.
“The status and needs for implementation of Fire Safety Engineering approach in Europe. Support to policies and standards for sustainable construction”, A. Athanasopoulou et al., European Commission JRC, 2023, ISBN 978-92-76-61624-5, https://dx.doi.org/10.2760/031591