European Fire Safety Action Plan
European Fire Safety Action Plan: Reducing Fire Risks at Home
The European Fire Safety Action Plan aims to reduce home fire risks, and was developed by an alliance of fire safety professionals. Most home fire deaths are preventable, with vulnerable groups, like the elderly, being most at risk.
In the EU, around 5,000 people die and many more are injured in fires annually—over 90% of these occur in homes and are preventable. Based on expert insights, statistics, and research, the European Fire Safety Alliance has identified five key focus areas to significantly reduce fire incidents, fatalities, and injuries.
European Fire Safety Action Plan 2024-2026
This plan outlines 12 actionable steps to improve fire safety in European homes.
Our 12-step action plan
Increase the Fire Safety of the vulnerable community
Increase the fire safety of the growing vulnerable community by establishing a European approach to improving the fire safety of the most vulnerable groups, with special attention on escaping and surviving a fire.
Read moreAction 1
Establish a European approach of improving the fire safety of the vulnerable community and the most vulnerable groups – elderly people (65+), children and people with a mental or physical disability (and focus on those living independently, especially in poverty and substandard housing).
Action 2
Improve and increase the use of fire-safe upholstered furniture and mattresses through the introduction of an EU-standard for end-use products.
Action 3
Ensure that smoke alarms have a much broader application in European homes. If people are not able to escape quickly enough or cannot escape at all, installing an automatic domestic extinguishing system seems to be an inevitable solution.
Action 4
Evaluate and improve the functioning of Lower Ignition Propensity (LIP) cigarettes.
Raise the awareness of Fire Safety
Raise the awareness of fire safety for European citizens, through better education, more targeted campaigns to influence fire behavior and the use of technology.
Read moreAction 5
Encourage and support the activities of the Fire Rescue Services regarding Community Fire Safety projects, both at a national and international level, and change the mentality from ‘nice to have’ to ‘need to have’.
Action 6
Develop better fire safety education and awareness programmes to influence fire behaviour targeted at the most vulnerable groups in Europe.
Make Fire Safety a part of the energy transition
Fire safety must be an inseparable part of the energy transition, including electrification and sustainable and circular building construction.
Read moreAction 7
Develop knowledge and competency, and increase awareness to ensure fire safety adequately accompanies the energy transition. Highlight the fire risks associated with the new forms of energy, increase awareness of these risks and ensure regular inspections. Take into account that electrification as well as sustainable and circular construction are important aspects of fire safe energy transition.
Realise EU-wide data on residential fires
Initiate and support efforts to improve the availability of harmonized European fire data, with a special focus on residential building.
Read moreAction 8
Realize the harmonisation of European fire statistics and their integration within Eurostat
Improve EU-wide cooperation and collaboration on Fire Safety
Provide an international network and platform for running fire safety initiatives and projects.
Read moreAction 9
Strengthen the EU Fire Information Exchange Platform as a tool for national authorities, EU institutions and other relevant stakeholders to exchange knowledge and experiences, with particular emphasis on fire safety of vulnerable citizens.
Action 10
Stimulate (or foster) scientific research on fire safety aimed at mitigating fire risks especially arising from EU policies related to energy transition and sustainable innovations, but also on fire-safe behaviour of people and the effectiveness of interventions in the field of Community Fire Safety.
Action 11
Encourage better cooperation between the Member States and industry on market surveillance and fire safety promotion.
Action 12
Create a central repository of worthwhile community fire safety initiatives in member states and /or develop a Knowledge Platform to share information or best practices on fire safety. Ensure materials produced are accessible in multiple languages.