18th International Fire Safety & Science Congress

For whom?

This conference is of interest to:

• professionals engaged in fire safety, fire safety engineering (FSE), fire research or (innovative) fire fighting
• professionals involved in education in the field of fire safety and FSE.

Rethinking evacuation through egressibility

Enrico Ronchi, Associate Professor, Lund University

This talk introduces egressibility as a new paradigm for inclusive evacuation, calling for a fundamental shift in how evacuation research and practice are thought. Egressibility bridges accessibility and egress, framing evacuation as the ability of everyone to access and use means of escape during emergency scenarios. The talk highlights key principles from accessibility research that are directly transferable to evacuation contexts and showcases existing and ongoing research on egressibility in fire safety. By exposing critical gaps in current evacuation models and design approaches, this talk argues for rethinking evacuation through the concept of egressibility to ensure equal safety for everyone.

Findings of the learning committee on the fire on 27 June 2023 in Ganshoren

Cristiaan Gryspeert, officier, hulpverleningszone Midwest (België)

On 27 June 2023 a high rise building facade fire occured in Brussels. How could the fire spread so fast ? What are the factors that contributed to this fire development and which factors could have altered the outcome ? What are the challenges the fire brigade was confronted with ? Which lessons can be learned from a construction and intervention point of view?

Different aspects on robustness in fire safety

Robert McNamee, Senior Resercher, Research and operations developer, RISE

The presentation will address three key aspects of robustness in fire safety engineering: the application of advanced modelling techniques, the significance of assessing the cooling phase in fire resistance evaluations, and an example from Sweden involving a consortium that have developed guidelines for robustness exceeding regulatory standards.

Break out sessions, June 24

Presentations NIPV-VVBA Thesis Award

Patries Robijn (DGMR), David den Boer (Peutz) and nominees

NIPV and the VVBA (Association of Fire Safety Advisors) annually award the best undergraduate or graduate thesis in the field of fire safety with the NIPV-VVBA Thesis Award. In this session the three nominees will present their thesis.

Fire fighting in mid- to highrise buildings: a risk-based approach

Pim van Rede en Goos Janssen, researchers, NIPV

NIPV was commissioned by the High-Rise Task Force to investigate the possibilities for firefighting operations in mid- to highrise buildings. A risk-based AST-RST comparison was used to establish a link between operational firefighting activities and the fire safety provisions in the building.

Thermal Runaway in Li‑ion Batteries: Risks and Early Detection

Maria Quant, Research Scientist Fire and Safety, RISE

Lithium ion batteries that enter a state of thermal runaway pose a significant safety risk, as the process can lead to severe incidents involving fire, explosions, and the release of hazardous gases. Consequently, the development of reliable methods for early detection of thermal runaway is essential for mitigating these risks and enhancing the overall safety of battery systems. This presentation provides an overview of the latest research advancements in early detection strategies for thermal runaway in lithium ion batteries.

Plenary sessions June 25

From Evidence to Action: UL Research on Lithium‑Ion Battery Hazards and Mitigation in Transportation Applications

Adam Barowy, Principal Research Engineer, UL Fire Safety Research

Reasonable expectations of fire safety in transportation spaces are unattainable solely by relying on relatively low frequencies of lithium-ion cell failures. Incidents have demonstrated that unmitigated battery fires can result in alarmingly severe and/or challenging-to-manage fires. As fire safety practitioners, we lack control over transportation product design and quality; therefore, we must identify battery fire hazard characteristics to enable mitigations around these products. This presentation provides a summary of UL fire research on more effective methods for fighting electric vehicle fires and reducing risks associated with e-mobility fires in passenger rail transit. Additionally, it will present recent research on the hazards associated with transporting damaged, defective, and recalled (DDR) lithium-ion batteries.

Fire Safety: The Art of Balancing Trade-offs

Wojciech Wegrzynski, Professor of ITB

There is no objective “best,” and no objective “bad” – and therefore no objective state of being “fire safe.” Fire safety is always a cost, always a trade-off. If fire safety became the only objective, what would a building look like? A concrete box, stripped of fuel? Perhaps without ignition sources? Or, if our sole concern were human escape, maybe a building without humans at all. Absurd – but revealing.

A building exists to serve many functions and many goals. Fire safety is one of them, and it must be balanced against the rest. Every design decision is a trade-off: when we change one thing, we inevitably change something else. Often, changes made by others – driven by sustainability, functionality, cost, or aesthetics – quietly reshape the fire problem we are trying to solve.

As buildings grow more complex, this balancing act stops being a simple calculation. It becomes something closer to an art. We must learn to navigate this space carefully, ensuring that the fire safety we introduce does not undermine other objectives – and that the pursuit of other goals does not quietly dismantle fire safety itself.

A Statistical Investigation of International Incident Datasets on Lithium-Ion Battery Fires

Martina Manes, Lecturer in Civil Engineering, University of Liverpool

This presentation reviews international datasets on fire incidents involving lithium-ion battery electric mobility devices. It highlights the need for improved and harmonised data collection to enhance fire risk awareness, support safer deployment of electric mobility, and strengthen international collaboration.

Break out sessions, June 25

Recent Battery Safety Research at NIPV

Tom Hessels en Henk Brans, researchers, NIPV

In this session, we will present our latest research on battery safety at NIPV. This includes a study on water contamination following incidents involving batteries and electric vehicles, with a particular focus on our experimental measurements of cooling water in electric vehicle submersion containers. In addition, we will present our research on the incident management of home battery systems.

Fire safety of bicycle parkings: using results from experiments with (electric) bikes, fatbikes and scooters to create a fire safety design plan

Ruud van Liempd en Linda Wolfs, researchers, NIPV

The presentation presents the results of experiments on the fire behavior of individual (e-)bikes and (e-)scooters and the development of fires in bicycle parkings. It also indicates how these results can be used to create a fire safety design plan for such buildings.

From the lab: testing on CLT and timber-frame constructions with biobased insulation material

Joris van der Vleuten, Peutz

During the workshop, we will discuss how various board materials perform and how biobased insulation materials behave during and after a fire. In addition, the protection level of board materials and the fire resistance of CLT constructions will be addressed.

Registration