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Published on 19 Feb 2020

Since 1 February, after ten years within the Directorate-General for Safety & Prevention, the Fire Prevention department has returned to the Directorate-General for Civil Protection.

Jan De Saedeleer, head of the Fire Prevention department, gives us his view on the added value of this return: "Thanks to the reintegration of Fire Prevention, the various aspects of the firefighters' safety chain (forecasting - prevention - preparation - execution - evaluation) are once again under the same roof. This return makes it possible to better integrate prevention into the fire brigade's overall missions and to implement a harmonised policy. The loop is thus closed. In this way, prevention can learn from execution through the assessment of fire causes, and preparation and execution can learn from the application of prevention regulations, as the risks are better known and assessed. The "prevention" aspect involves adopting and enforcing the technical requirements of the legislation, but also making citizens aware of and responsible for the fire risks they can avoid in their daily activities.

The main missions of the Fire Prevention Department are therefore to

  •  To contribute to the safety of citizens through its contribution to fire prevention regulations and their application.
  •  To inform and raise awareness among citizens of the risks and dangers associated with fires, so that they too can be actors in fire prevention.

In terms of regulations, Fire Prevention works within the Commission of Exemption, which scrupulously examines requests for exemption for certain constructions from the basic standards concerning fire safety, provided that the construction retains a level of safety at least equivalent to that required by these standards, in particular by means of certain devices planned for a future building, which, even if they deviate somewhat from the regulatory requirements, make it possible to ensure this level of safety against fire
It also manages the work of the High Council for Fire and Explosion Safety, which issues opinions on each draft order relating to standards designed to prevent the outbreak of fire, detect the start of fire and prevent it from spreading, and proposes measures for fire and explosion prevention.

As regards raising public awareness of the risks and dangers of fire, the Fire Prevention Department, in close collaboration with the fire prevention advisers (CPI) in the emergency zones, is active on several fronts:

  • The organisation of campaigns, such as those concerning smoke detectors or fire evacuation plans.
  • Participation in events, for example, during the Safety Fortnight or at the Interior Safety Village on 21 July.
  • Dissemination of advice, such as how to avoid domestic accidents in the kitchen or at a BBQ.
  • Production of educational material for children.

The fire prevention regulations will soon be available on the website www.securitecivile.be. In the meantime, you can always find them on the website www.besafe.be.

Source: Newsletter Sécurité IBZ 06-02-2020
(https://www.civieleveiligheid.be/fr/actualites/la-prevention-incendie-reintegre-la-direction-generale-securite-civile)

 

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