Why fire safety rules are under fire: 'At rapid speed, we started building differently'

Why are fire safety rules under fire? What does it mean for timber construction projects and what is needed to put out this 'fire'? That's what the latest episode of the podcast Bureau Stoer is about.

"Whether we should stop building with wood? Well no," responds Saskia Hegeman, business developer at bureau Nieman, to TNO's report on 'outdated' fire safety regulations, in the latest episode of the podcast Bureau Stoer. Sitting next to her is Lieuwe de Witte, lecturer in fire safety science by profession.

One is granddaughter of a fire chief, the other rolled into the field more or less by accident. De Witte is affiliated with the Netherlands Institute for Public Safety (NIPV).

The two got to know each other after the fateful fire in a cell complex near Schiphol Airport in 2005 that killed 11 detainees without legal residency. On behalf of the Government Buildings Agency, the two then worked to make all cell complexes in the Netherlands fire-safe. That seemed like a noble endeavor, but in retrospect it may have been a bit too much of a good thing, De Witte looks back on that time. "Because really not all complexes were unsafe."

What is acceptable?

Putting out fires, or rather political fires, has become exemplary of fire safety policy in the Netherlands, according to the expert. He calls for a fundamental overhaul of the system. Above all, he says, legal paper lacks a description of the risks we as a country are willing to accept.

Fire safety experts Saskia Hegeman and Lieuwe de Witte in front of the NIPV building. Photo: Thomas van Belzen

De Witte: "The rules are based on two main goals: to prevent the fire from spreading to adjacent buildings on another lot and to limit the number of casualties. However, we sidestep the question of what we consider acceptable."

"Why the rules are outdated? At a rapid pace, our way of building and living is changing. The energy transition, in the area of sustainability ... All of this affects safety. It's right that larger social developments take precedence, but fire safety should not be forgotten."

Turkey

Hegeman adds: "Fire safety is like a turkey at Christmas dinner right now. Just don't invite him over for a while, because that makes it more complex, whereas you actually need to integrate 'him' into the design from day one."

The two respond to the TNO report that saw the light of day last week. The research institute argues that fire safety rules are outdated and no longer reflect the current way of building with other materials, such as wood. De Witte: "Unlike concrete, wood burns with it ... We are going from a fire in a building to a building on fire. That's substantially different."

Too fire-safe

It's time to adjust the rules and clarify the playing field, they think. Lack of clarity now causes confusion during planning, and initiators of timber construction projects are said to increasingly fall back on concrete structures. "A shame," Hegeman believes and "unnecessary."

The pair make several suggestions. For example, joint and several liability for a building's fire safety could be a solution. Banning materials is unnecessary, according to the two. "At most, you could think about mandating specific provisions in high-risk buildings..."

Curious about the whole story? Listen to Bureau Stoer episode 34: "Biobased builders beware: fire safety rules under fire"