THE Australian Property Institute has welcomed the release of the International Fires Safety Standards Common Principles Consultation document, which is aiming to set a global industry standard for fire safety.
A new global industry standard for fire safety is being launched for consultation by a coalition of over 70 international organisations with support from the United Nations and the World Bank. The International Fire Safety Standard project aims to bring transparency and consistency across the dozens of differing standards being used around the world by creating a uniform set of principles.
APIV chair and founding member of the International Fire Safety Standards Coalition (IFFSC), Robert Hecek, said the document is a culmination of two years of hard work.
“After almost two years of hard work since the first meeting of the IFSS Coalition in Geneva in July 2018, we have produced an outstanding result, a draft global standard which has already been accepted by numerous international organisations and is now released for public consultation,” he said.
Hecek said fire safety standards underpin the construction and maintenance of buildings and infrastructure, but they have historically been local market specific, out of kilter with technology and research developments, and in some countries, non-existent.
“This has resulted in inefficient and inconsistent approaches to managing risk to life and property and encouraged a loss of confidence in the fire safety of buildings. The coalition of organisations is urging experts to engage with the development of these new standards to bring people reassurance that their environments are adhering to the best worldwide expertise on fire safety,”
Hecek said the standards launched for global consultation have been created by a Standard Setting Committee with 25 independent industry fire safety experts. It pulls together the pockets of fire safety best practice that exist across the globe, considering issues such fire prevention, detection and communication, occupants protection, containment and extinguishment at each stage of the property life cycle.
The development of the standards have already received support from the UN and it is hoped governments across the world will adopt the standards and support efforts to bring transparency and harmonise international best practice.
The consultation will be open for a period of two months with the final international standards to be published later in 2020. Interested parties should respond here by 23:59 23 March 2020. For more information, on the International Fire Safety Standards consultation, please contact Helvi Cranfield at hcranfield@rics.org
