With successful implementation of fire safety regulations, the Europe Fire Safety Equipment Market to gain higher momentum by 2027: Bonafide Research

Over the past three decades, the European region witnessed a decline in the fire fatality rate by 65%, which can be attributed to the continuous improvement in the fire safety regulation. Still, there is a long way for the region to climb, as the fire safety still remains a social issue in many countries, with nearly 5000 lives lost in building fires every year. According to the latest publication of Bonafide Research, titled Europe Fire Safety Equipment Market Outlook, 2027, the market is expected to be growing over an exponential rate by the end of the forecasted period. For the better understanding, the market is classified into six major countries, along with the sub divisions based on application & the product type. The report covers the major top companies like Gentex Corporation, HOCHIKI Corporation, Napco Security Technologies, Inc., Nittan Company, Ltd., Halma PLC, Robert Bosch GmbH, Honeywell International, Inc., and Siemens Building Technologies.

Since a long past, the manufacturers of fire safety equipment have been hurdled due to the lack of standardized assessment system across the European region. The countries had their individual national standards, which created complications every time a new product was launched in the market. In Germany, the recent fire cases have been caused by the burning waste containers or discarded vehicles in front of the buildings. This has given some considerations of the additional testes and regulations regarding the performance offaçade system when exposed to severe fire sources.

Heat, flame, and smoke detectors are examples. A smoke detector detects smoke and serves as a fire indicator. Residential smoke detectors send out a local, audible or visible alarm, whereas commercial security equipment sends a signal to a fire alarm control panel. The market is divided into Fire Detection Equipment and Fire Suppression Equipment in the market study based on Solution. Fire Extinguishers and Fire Sprinklers are two examples of fire suppression equipment. The three other categories of fire extinguishers are gas-based, water-based, and dry chemical powder & others. The market for fire safety equipment is divided into three categories based on vertical: commercial, industrial, and residential.

Among all the fire accidents, majority of them are residential fires, which could have been prevented if proper precautions were taken. It is important to detect fire and thus gain sufficient time for the occupants to react. In the region, countries like Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France, Ireland, Austria, Belgium and Germany have mandatory smoke alarms in residential setup.  However, the type and requirement criteria do vary among the countries. The change in the region is brought with the increasing requirement for safety concerns in the residential segment; more homes are now insulated with thermal insulation. This have gained considerable momentum in the recent times post the introduction of the regulations regarding the fire safety.

Most of the European countries now have a national set of fire regulations.  However, in Germany, the federal states hold the responsibility.Scotland has developed the building regulations and enforcements which are carried out by 32 local authorized verifiers. UK doesn’t allow private companies to certify the fire safety norms, while in Spain a building can be approved by local authority or a private certifier. However, the systems are bit different in France, where the building’s fire installation is signed off by the safety commission. With the holistic approach towards ensuring the highest standard of fire safety, various stakeholders do take part in the planning and construction of measures to be undertaken. The contributions of architects and fire safety engineers are needed to develop a holistic fire safety plans. 

Even though as the overall market is doing exceptionally well than expected, and the countries contributing their bits and parts to the market growth, the region lacks in its fundamental. One of the majorly missing characteristics is a common approach to assess the fire performance of façade based on one harmonized large-scale test. In 2017, the safety against fire was put forward as a political debate when many countries did take ambitious steps to provide guard against fire in every building. The toxicity of smoke from burning construction products is not measured, whereas smoke is the biggest killer in fires.This has made it possible for the fire detection segment to lead the market with more than half of the share.

A newly-emerging instrument in the fire department is virtual reality (VR). It is becoming more and more popular as a helpful tool for educating people about fire safety in addition to its role in firefighter training. The House Fire Sprinkler Association (HFSA) is utilizing virtual reality (VR) to show how important home fire sprinklers are for fire protection in the early stages of a fire.

The Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC) advocates for the sprinkler system's installation in newly constructed one- and two-family houses. Beyond informing customers, the alliance aims to collaborate with fire service preventive and community outreach staff as well as authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs), who monitor and implement local fire safety equipment regulations.

HFSC has made the shift away from relying on local building standards to mandate sprinklers in an effort to expand the installation of sprinkler systems. Instead, to promote the installation of sprinklers in new homes, the alliance collaborates locally with AHJs and fire prevention/community outreach professionals. Construction workers are given incentives through a "Developer Incentive Program" to help them offset the higher cost of installing sprinklers.

Despite the passing of the Grenfell Tower disaster's fifth anniversary, the discussion about building safety best practices is still going on. In order to guarantee that citizens are secure in their houses, the UK Government announced efforts to further overhaul the building safety system last year, calling them "the largest improvements in a generation. All new high-rise apartment buildings over 11 meters tall were required to include sprinkler systems, and uniform navigation signage was also established as part of these new regulations. Ian King goes a little more deeply into fire safety and sprinkler system effectiveness in this post.