The number of fire and smoke fatalities in Germany is on the decline. An overview of the Federal Statistical Office for 2010 indicates 373 fire victims. 150 died from burns, 213 from toxic smoke gases, 10 for other reasons. Some years ago, the number of victims was generally still around the 500 mark. By contrast, the material damage caused by fires and smoke is increasing. According to an evaluation by the General Insurance Association (GDV) for 2010, the average damage caused by fires in residential buildings is now EUR 4,366 (2008: EUR 3,750) per insurance claim. The damage covered by industrial fire insurance has risen again. GDV expects an increase in the damage sum by 7.5%. What is expensive is, above all, the damage caused by the 150 to 200 major fires every year (> EUR 500,000), on average between four and five million euros.
The fact that the damage can also amount in individual cases to many more times than that was shown, for example, in the fire in the rolling mill of a metal processing company in Dinslaken/Germany in February 2011. Fire damage and the subsequent 8-month production standstill cost the insurance company a total of EUR 234 million. And the damage in a steel works in Schwerte/Germany, where one production hall with a strip annealing plant was completely destroyed, probably by a defective water boiler, amounted to EUR 120 million.
However, even if fire and business interruption insurances pay for the damage, fires represent a major economic and, in some cases, existential risk to companies. If an important production plant is destroyed during a fire, it may take many months before it can be run up again in view of the delivery times in plant construction. The loss of customers is more or less a matter of course.
A study by GDV in 2008 showed that in more than 90% of the major fires in industry there was no automatic fire extinguishing system installed and therefore extinguishing only started on arrival of the fire brigade. It is obvious that many companies accept the risk of damage although there have long since been efficient security solutions for many fields of application and both the technology and the market are continuously developing further in constructional and technological fire prevention, fire alarm technology as well as extinguishing concepts.This will also be reflected again at Security Essen 2012. There, from 25 to 28 September, some 140 exhibitors out of the total number of 1,100 – and therefore 30% more than at the last Security Essen 2010 – will be presenting the performance and efficiency of modern fire prevention solutions. The entire range of fire prevention, early fire detection and fire-fighting will be presented in the fire prevention halls (halls 1 and 9). The partners of the fair here will be the Essen Fire Service and bvfa – the Federal Association of Technical Fire Prevention (Bundesverband Technischer Brandschutz) and the Federal Association of Company Fire Prevention – Works Fire Service Association of Germany (Bundesverband Betrieblicher Brandschutz – Werkfeuerwehrverband Deutschland). Together with the exhibitors, Messe Essen has agreed on a special “Fire Prevention Day” on 27 September. Many companies as well as the Essen Fire Service will be demonstrating their solutions in realistic demonstrations on that day.
Fires should be prevented, if at all possible detected, at an early stage and then extinguished without damaging property. However, to ensure that any people present do not suffer injury, can quickly save themselves or leave the risk area with the aid from outside, a close look at the classic fire prevention products is generally insufficient. Modern fire prevention concepts should also include alarm, communications and evacuation techniques, escape and emergency rescue solutions as well as video analysis which has, for some time, also been able to play a major role in fire detection. As the world’s leading fair for security, Security Essen 2012 also offers a comprehensive overview of the state of the art and the foreseeable innovation trends in these associated fields.
Fire prevention need not always be expensive. According to a study of ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) published in 2010, it is generally easy, especially on a hitherto low security level, to achieve appreciable improvements with small investments in order to reduce the risk to people and property. One of many examples of this is the use of smoke detectors. Even though the fire brigade statistics have so far not provided any data on the extent to which the detectors already available for a few euros have contributed to the decline in the number of fatalities, the benefit is obvious to the initiative supported by the fire services “Smoke detectors save lives”. Smoke detectors in new residential buildings are already prescribed by law in 10 federal states – transition periods generally still apply to old buildings. And in North Rhine-Westphalia, the state government has now announced that it will be making smoke detectors obligatory by the end of the year.
The nationwide availability of smoke detectors also offers other options. For example, their use by the authorities to warn the population in the event of disasters. This will also be a theme at Security Essen in September. Manufacturers and the security trade association in the German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association (ZVEI) will be providing information on this concept.
