Fire Safe Europe
11 Jul 2019
37 newly elected MEPs from 21 countries have pledged to work to improve fire safety in buildings in this new European Parliamentary term.
Launched in the European Parliament in February, the #Together4FireSafety campaign called for candidates to act together with the construction industry, architects, fire safety engineers, firefighters, building owners, and citizens to improve fire safety in buildings for people.
98 European Election Candidates signed the pledge, and 38 other stakeholders supported the campaign, among which firefighters, educators, and national fire safety associations. This sent a strong signal that action is necessary to ensure that people are safe in the buildings where they spend most of their time.
37 of the candidates who pledged have been elected for this European Parliamentary term and will have the opportunity to build upon the successes of the previous parliament and significantly improve fire safety in buildings. “Fire safety has to be a priority for European institutions and the European Member States” said Brando Benifei, MEP. Every day in Europe, 11 people die in fires, and 190 people are hospitalised. Losses caused by fire are estimated at 1% of global GDP per year, and fires have an environmental impact on air, soil, and water pollution.
To improve fire safety in buildings, Members of the European Parliament could for example:
Work on a European Fire Safety Strategy enabling EU countries to set common goals for fire safety
Continue to support the work of the European Commission’s Fire Information Exchange Platform
“I believe fire safety should be addressed at the European level because we should all have the same standard of protection, and I will continue my fight to protect European citizens from fires in any way I can” said Zeljana Zovko, MEP.