The alliance of trade associations and companies representing the plastics industry in the construction sector, Modern Buildings Alliance, has published a 20 page brochure titled “EU Fire Safety Guide”. The brochure targets policy makers and presents a holistic approach of how fire safety in buildings can be improved, and what actions are needed at the EU level. It is underlined that some 5 000 people per year die in buildings fires in Europe, mainly in home fires, and that most residential fires are preventable. Seven layers of building fire safety are presented: prevention, detection, early suppression, evacuation, compartmentation, structural safety and firefighting. Proposed EU actions include improved fire statistics, improving fire standards for specific products, increasing smoke alarm and automatic sprinkler installation, developing EU regulation on evacuation and safety signs, reinforcing EU product and materials safety standards and improving European exchange on best practices, for example by establishing an EU forum of experts to analyse fire causes and propose fire safety strategies (developing on the existing EU Fire Information Exchange Platform).
Modern Buildings Alliance “EU Fire Safety Guide. The 7 layers of fire safety in buildings” 2019 https://www.modernbuildingalliance.eu/new-EU-fire-safety-guide