The Modern Building Alliance supports the European Fire Safety Alliance, an independent alliance of fire professionals aiming to reduce the risk from fire, with a particular focus on fire safety at home.

The European Fire Safety Alliance is an independent network of fire professionals that does not support any individual fire safety product, technology or commercial organisation. The Alliance is a project within the Dutch Burns Foundation (Nederlandse Brandwonden Stichting) and is chaired by Elie van Strien and co-chaired by Krzysztof Biskup (former firefighters and fire officers). It is supported by the Dutch Fire Service Academy (Instituut Fysieke Veiligheid) and the Federation of European Fire Officer Associations (FEU). The core group of EuroFSA is listed here.

Since 2019, EuroFSA leads the European Fire Safety Week.

It is a full week of events organised by a large range of stakeholders, under their umbrella, aiming at bringing the Fire Safety debate higher in the EU political agenda. With this initiative, EuroFSA successfully gathers Members of the European Parliament, European Commission's DG (GROW, ENVI, ENER, ECHO...) and other stakeholders to exchanges and discuss how improving fire safety for EU citizens.

To know more about the 2019 and 2020 editions.

On the 28th November 2018, EuroFSA supported our roundtable event ‘Fire safety: setting the scene for fire safe European buildings’ in the European Parliament and presented a new report on fatal residence fires by EuroFSA and the Dutch Fire Service Academy (IFV). Even if data are not fully harmonised, major conclusions can be identified. Smoking and defective electrical appliances are the most important causes for fatal residence fires. The report also concludes that most fatal residential fires ignite on upholstered furniture, beds and matrasses and textiles, including clothes. This report is a first step towards a better understanding the risk profiles of fatal residential fires in Europe and can support a more efficient fire prevention framework, an effort supported by the European Parliament’s pilot project asking the Commission to address the gap on fire statistics and support pan-European fire safety efforts. .

The Modern Building Alliance values the expertise, work and independence of the European Fire Safety Alliance and fully supports its aims:

• Campaigning for better regulation in areas that improve home fire safety at a national and European level
• Being an authority on fire risk based on a strong statistical evidence base
• Focussing on areas of greatest fire risk and the people most vulnerable to accidental fires
• Supporting the fire service so they can be actively involved in reducing the risk from fire
• Developing and nurturing a fire professional network that can be seen as an area of expertise by policy makers and practitioners

While remaining fully independent, the European Fire Safety Alliance is supported by several organisations who can participate and contribute to its aims and ambitions. Because the Modern Building Alliance shares its values and aims, we decided to become one of its supporters. This Alliance also offers us a unique network to engage with stakeholders supporting the EU in ensuring safe and sustainable construction for people across Europe.

Current partners of the European fire Safety Alliance are listed here.