Façades are one of the fastest ways that fire can spread through a building. The configuration, design and materials used in façades and inner yards are three key factors in fire developing. The Espai Bombers is holding a technical meeting to take an in-depth look at this topic, with the session “Spread of fire in inner and outer façades” on 25 January at 9 am.
Fire coming out of windows represents a potential danger for the upper floors in the same building and also for adjacent or nearby buildings. Contact with the oxygen in the air, the wind and the verticality of the surface of the façade are all factors which can cause fire to spread and significantly hamper the task of firefighters.
This meeting, jointly organised by the Barcelona Fire Service and the Barcelona School of Building Construction at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), seeks to address this issue from two points of view: regulatory prevention and extinction operations.
The meeting is directed at operational staff with the Barcelona Fire Service and the Catalan Fire Service, as well as project specialists, professional associations, municipal specialists, students and teaching staff at the UPC.
This session forms part of the cycle “Prevention in the 21st century”, an activity linked to the exhibition “Protecting Barcelona. Firefighters and Fire Prevention 1833-2022”, which explains how fire prevention measures have been applied in the city from when the Barcelona Fire Service was created. The exhibition is on at the MUHBA Oliva Artés until 30 June.
The programme for the meeting is as follows:
9 am Welcome
Sebastià Massagué Mir, Head of the Civil Protection, Fire Prevention, Firefighting and Rescue Service at Barcelona City Council
Ana Maria Lacasta Palacio, PhD in Physics, lecturer at EPSEB (Polytechnic University of Catalonia)
9.15 am Spread of fire on façades
Maria Pilar Giraldo Forero, PhD in Architecture, researcher at INCAFUST – CTFC, associate professor at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia
10 am Fire at Torre Ámbar. Madrid, 20 August 2020
Ricardo Jiménez Paz, chief inspector at the Community Inspection and Coordination Services. Fire Service, Madrid City Council
10.45 am: Coffee break
11.15 am Spread of fire in inner courtyards. Regulatory perspective
Esteve Gonzàlez Cuxart, Generalitat de Catalunya firefighter, Bachelor’s Degree in Technical Architecture and Building
12 pm Spread of fire in inner courtyards. Operational perspective
Joan Maestre Besonias, corporal in the Barcelona Fire Service, Bachelor’s Degree in Technical Architecture and Building
12.45 pm Round table
Moderator: Víctor Molinet Coll, head of the Barcelona Fire Service Regulations and Performance Unit
Participants: Albert González Mayans, watch manager in the Barcelona Fire Service and previous speakers
1.30 pm Close
Anybody wishing to attend should register in advance by sending an email to espaibombers@bcn.cat and indicating the number of people attending.