BSEF co-organize successful Webinar on Fire Safety during the EU Fire Safety Week 2022
For the second year consecutively, BSEF – the International Bromine Council has taken part in the European Fire Safety Week (EUFSW), the must-attend event for all professionals involved in – and concerned with – fire safety. In its four editions, the EUFSW has established itself as the main platform to share best practices and solve gaps in knowledge, data, legislation, and standards on fire safety within the EU.
Organized by the European Fire Safety alliance (EUFSA), the 2022 edition took place from the 14th till the 18th November, and focused on how to place EU citizens’ safety at the heart of the Renovation Wave, the EU Commission’s initiative aiming at renovating both public and private buildings to drive energy gains and economic growth. However, other relevant issues, including the harmonisation of fire statistics and fire protection of vulnerable people, were discussed.
As part of a long-standing commitment to promote high fire safety standards in the EU and ensure people’s lives and property are protected against the danger of fire, BSEF gave their contribution by co-organizing and hosting the EUFSW webinar ‘Recognising fire safety in revised EU legislation‘ on 17 November at 14h00-15h30.
The online event focused on how the revision of significant EU frameworks, such as the Construction Products Regulation (CPR), which lays down harmonised rules for the marketing of construction products in the EU, offers an opportunity to better recognize and improve fire safety in an ever-changing and technology-advancing Europe.
The session was successfully livestreamed to a wide audience of around 140 online participants coming from more than 35 countries, including numerous representatives of the EU institutions as well as EU industry and civil society stakeholders. It also counted with the participation of several high-level speakers: Oscar Nieto Sanz, Policy Officer at DG GROW, Sebastian Wall, President of the European Organisation for Technical Assessment (EOTA), Rene Hagen, vice chair of the EUFSA, Sander Kroon, Director of Advocacy Europe at ICL Group, and was moderated by Patrick Fox, Head of Public Affairs and Advocacy at BSEF.
During his intervention, Oscar Nieto Sanz discussed the importance of CPR and its revision in creating a harmonized single market for construction products which increases the competitiveness of the sector and at the same time “delivers products which are safe from the point of view of environment and the point of view of safety, fire safety, of course, as one of the key issues of the regulation”. In this sense, he noted that “If there is an environmental and a safety issue, the proposal always puts safety first”.
Sander Kroon presented insightful fire safety data on electronic and electrical devices and focused on the role of Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in protecting consumers from otherwise highly flammable materials present in these appliances. He explained that by inhibiting fire ignition and slowing down the spread of flames, BFRs provide sufficient time for people to escape and firefighters to intervene, preventing fatal injuries and protecting property.
After clarifying that BFRs are the most widely used flame retardants for these appliances (but fun fact: also in the building and construction, automotive and furnishing sectors) thanks to their properties and the way they are built into the plastic, he concluded by highlighting that ‘[BFRs] are very effective, do their job and save lives, literally”.
For those interested in the full discussion, the recording of the webinar is available on YouTube at the link here.
As this successful edition has come to an end, BSEF already look forward to participate in the next one in 2023!
About BSEF
BSEF – the International Bromine Council, is the global representative body for bromine producers and producers of bromine technologies. Originally founded in 1997, BSEF works to foster knowledge on the societal benefits of bromine and its applications. The members of BSEF are Albemarle Corporation, ICL Industrial Products, Lanxess and Tosoh.
Visit www.bsef.org to learn more and follow BSEF on Twitter @BromineInfo and LInkedin BSEF for the latest news and information.