More than 40
organisations from around the world have appointed fire safety experts tasked
with developing landmark industry standards to address fire safety in buildings
in the public interest.
The group, known as
the International Fire Safety Standards (IFSS) Coalition, was launched at the United
Nations in Geneva, Switzerland in July.
They have now agreed
to appoint 21 experts who applied to join their Standards Setting Committee.
The coalition
consists of local and international professional bodies and standard-setting
organisations committed to developing and supporting a shared set of standards
for fire safety in buildings in the public interest. The standards aim to set
and reinforce the best practice professionals should adhere to ensure building
safety in the event of a fire.
As the property
market has become increasingly international with investments flowing across
national borders, the sector still lacks a consistent set of high level global
principles that will inform the design, construction, and management of
buildings to address the risks associated with fire safety.
Differences in
materials testing and certification, national building regulations or codes,
and standards on how to manage buildings in use, particularly higher risk
buildings, means there is confusion, uncertainty and risk to the public.
Gary Strong, the
RICS Global Building Standards Director cites the Grenfell Tower fire in June
2017 as one of many examples which demonstrates the need for a consistent
global approach to fire safety. As the RICS representative to, and Chair of,
the IFSS Coalition, he says that the Grenfell fire – the worst in the UK for
over a century that claimed 72 lives - not only focused attention on building
and fire safety in the United Kingdom but also exposed global inadequacies in
how fire safety standards are set around the world.
"The Grenfell
Tower fire focused the world’s attention on how many buildings are threatened
with the prospect of failing fire safety standards," he said.
"All over the
world we see the need for more high-rise structures, some residential, some
commercial and some mixed-use buildings, particularly with increased
urbanisation in cities. Our concern is not with the height of these buildings
but with the risks they pose in the absence of a coherent and harmonised
approach to setting global standards in fire safety.
"The effort by
the IFSS Coalition aims to address this concern and bring together the design,
construction and management aspects of ensuring fire safety of building assets
in the public interest."
Once the high-level
standards are developed, the IFSS Coalition will work with professionals around
the world to deliver the standards locally. The standards will be owned by the
IFSS Coalition and not by any one organisation.
As it’s first order
of business the IFSS Coalition has set up a Standards Setting Committee (see
below) that draw on a group of international technical fire experts to develop
and write the high-level standards to ensure they are fit for purpose across global
markets.
