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Adam Bannister is a contributor to IFSEC Global, having been in the role of Editor from 2014 through to November 2019. Adam also had stints as a journalist at cybersecurity publication, The Daily Swig, and as Managing Editor at Dynamis Online Media Group.
Euralarm says that modern furnishings and the proliferation of electronic devices have increased fire loads, reducing evacuation times in many buildings.
The higher fire load is also attributable to exterior wall insulation fitted to boost energy efficiency, said the trade association for the European electronic fire safety and security industry.
The warning was one of three factors making fires more likely or more dangerous presented to the EU by Euralarm.
Another problem noted was that the very rarity of fires engendered complacency.
Finally, private and public building owners too often fail to prioritise regular fire safety reviews, attendees to the launch conference of the EU’s Fire Information Exchange Platform (FIEP) heard.
And yet, Euralarm noted, the certified professionals conducting those reviews were the first to be held accountable because of a trend towards deregulation.
Pan-European data collection
Euralarm also issued three recommendations for improving fire safety across Europe, including the pan-European data collection of fire events. Based on a three-year study of several countries, it recommended that a common data collection approach across Europe would help to quantify and qualify the problem and define corrective measures.
Euralarm has also suggested that the recently released EN 16763 services standard should be accommodated in relevant qualifications around designing and engineering, commissioning, and installing and maintaining fire and security systems.
The third and final proposal was a “holistic approach towards achieving and maintaining fire safety that covered”:
The contribution of the building structure and its contents to the overall fire load and how they exacerbate or restrain a fire
Technical means to provide early detection and evacuation coupled with extinguishing
Organisational plans on responses to fire and who is responsible for executing which measures
Founded in 1970, Euralarm represents more than 5,000 organisations in fire detection, intrusion detection, access control, video monitoring, alarm transmission and alarm receiving centres.
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Modern furnishings, electronic devices and exterior insulation have cut evacuation times, warns EuralarmEuralarm says that modern furnishings, energy efficient materials and the proliferation of electronic devices have increased fire loads, reducing evacuation times in many buildings.
Adam Bannister
IFSEC Insider | Security and Fire News and Resources
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