Around 100 fire safety stakeholders met at the meeting organised by IAFSS (International Association for Fire Safety Research) in Brussels 3rd December 2018. The meeting was sponsored by pinfa and others. Speakers included the European Commission (DG R&D strategy, DG R&D wildfires, DG GROW and JRC Joint Research Centre), the Modern Buildings Alliance, Brussels Fire Department, Swedish fire safety research funding organisation Brandforsk, fire safety engineers (SFPE) and leading fire safety R&D institutes. Group discussion developed messages to input to the development of the EU Horizon Europe programme (2021-2028, c. 100 billion € funding) currently under development in the Commission, Council and European Parliament. This is important because Horizon Europe project outcomes are likely to influence future EU regulations and standards on fire safety. The workshop messages include that fire safety is essential for a desired future: to enable sustainability (energy-efficient buildings, bio-materials, new energy systems), for smart and compact cities (e.g. high-rise buildings), for new materials and innovation and for an inclusive society (e.g. safety of an ageing population living at home), as well as being vital for society’s resilience in contexts of technological developments and climate change. Fire research needs identified include better and more consistent fire data, large-scale testing of new materials, products and construction methods, holistic approach integrating complex systems such as sensors and communications, electronic control of building ventilation and other functions. A meeting summary and a short “fire safety mission statement” for the European Commission, based on the outcomes, are now being developed by IAFSS. Further actions will be defined, possibly including a call to IAFSS members to support this mission proposal for Horizon Europe and support also by industry and stakeholder organisations.
IAFSS workshop on a fire safety agenda for 2030, Brussels, 3rd December 2018, with support of ISO TC92, CEN/CENELEC, pinfa, Brandforsk, Kingspan, Modern Building Alliance, NFPA and Rockwool https://iafss.org/