The new government measure will foster a culture of fire protection and self-protection to help make the city a safer place, with fewer incidents and fewer victims. The Barcelona Fire Service will have a greater role in areas such as research, dissemination, developing regulations and urban transformation.
The various steps making up the new government measure are based around eight strategy areas.
Research and development relating to fire prevention will be stepped up in particular, with the joint leadership of Barcelona City Council and the Government of Catalonia coordinating resources and knowledge between all parties in this sector: administrations, safety and prevention corps, professional associations, businesses, universities etc. In this respect, organisations to take on a greater role include the Agency for the Prevention and Dissemination of Fire Risks in Buildings and Infrastructures, and the Espai Bombers prevention centre in C/ Lleida.
Fire research to be conducted by the new Division for Prevent and Post-incident Analysis operated by the Barcelona Fire Service will cover various aspects such as the study of causes, propagation and the evolution of fire trends. A documentary database will also be created and made available to anybody interested. This will broaden and update knowledge to help drive a reduction in fires and minimise their consequences.
The city’s firefighting corps will also be taking part in the development of regulations on fire prevention, the goal being to adapt it and make it more specific. Similarly, a framework will be created to establish some minimum safety features in buildings with the support of IT simulations, a tool regularly used in the design of large infrastructures.
Content for dissemination will be broadened to make the new regulation easier to understand. In addition, recommendations are to be extended to the general public on prevention and self-protection, enabling citizens to prevent or reduce the effects that fires have on people, assets and the environment.
Inspections will ensure compliance with the regulation by permanent and one-off activities alike, on business premises or in housing.
The government measure offers a strategic area for driving prevention and urban transformation in the city. Urban planning conditions fire extinction and rescue tasks, and so technical input and professional supervision are needed for urban projects and works being implemented.
Finally, prevention needs to include wooded areas and the coast, to cover all parts of the city.