'Fire safety is MORE than just the number of victims'

Complying with Building Code is difficult: yet BBN advocates more     

If we in the Netherlands were to design and build exactly as it should be done as a minimum according to the Building Code, there would be even fewer victims and fewer fires spreading to neighbors. To realize this, interest group Brandveilig Bouwen Nederland (BBN) - together with its stakeholders - wants to contribute even more to awareness of fire safety in 2024. Because ... the Building Code actually falls short on points. Chairman Joric Witlox says: "In 2024 we will come up with a guideline that indicates how to deal with products that achieved excellent results in tests but were applied slightly differently in practice."

Joric: "Think, for example, of a fire-resistant door that is modified during work. Can you 'just' fit fire-resistant glass in it? No, you can't. Another example: recently our members tested a beautiful door and a glazed wall, other members tested a stony or sandwich wall. Both parts were tested separately for fire safety but the joining of them was not. And so you might ask: Is the sum still fireproof enough? At our member meeting last October 19, we therefore set up a working group called "Show it" to formulate a guideline on "expert assessments. In other words, show what you base your judgment of fire safety on."

Collateral damage

"Fire safety should really be more than preventing casualties," Joric continued. "Of course everyone is happy when serious accidents are a thing of the past. But with our guidelines we also want to prevent collateral damage. Like, for example, closing highways when there is a fire nearby. But also consider that about 60% of the companies that have had fires go out of business within 2 years because customers defected to competitors. They don't come back easily. Companies that burn down completely, I learned the other day, will go out of business within two years! In short, by being on top of this, we can prevent a lot more collateral damage in society."

According to Joric, formulating a guideline regarding "expert assessments" is not the only ambition for 2024. "Another, now very well-known action we do annually is to work on and issue a publication with which we want to help building professionals in the Netherlands gain insight into possible issues and solutions. We issue this publication - 'Essential Control Points Fire Safety' (ECB) - annually in cooperation with the Netherlands Fire Brigade and the Netherlands Building & Housing Inspectorate Association. The editorial team is full of experts. And, in doing so, we also meet our objective of sharing knowledge so that we can comply with the Building Code."

"Still, I think we are doing reasonably well compared to other countries," Joric concludes. "But improvement steps are always needed. The problem is not so much in the products that are applied. However, if you want to be able to continue using your building, you have to do much more than just make decisions at the Building Code level. The Building Code will certainly applaud when there are (fortunately) no casualties if a building collapses after a fire. But it's not enough: we need to eliminate all that unwanted collateral damage as well."