According to Article 1 of the Law of July 30, 1979 on this subject, "fire prevention encompasses all safety measures aimed, on the one hand, at avoiding the outbreak of a fire, detecting any fire outbreak, and preventing its spread, and, on the other hand, at alerting rescue services and facilitating both the rescue of individuals and the protection of property in the event of a fire."
In Belgium, fire prevention is a federal responsibility. The federal government can therefore establish basic fire prevention standards that apply to one or more categories of buildings, regardless of their purpose.
In addition to these basic standards, there are sector-specific standards adopted by the federal government, the Regions, the Communities, and municipalities, based on the specific competencies of these entities. These specific standards complement the federal basic standards.
For buildings undergoing renovations, repurposing, and/or transformations, there are no legal prescriptions, whether in the form of a Royal Decree (RD), an ordinance, or an order from the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region...
- Prevent the formation, development, and spread of a fire;
- Ensure the safety of individuals present;
- Facilitate proactive intervention by the fire service.
What are the different regulatory texts?
There is a significant number of regulatory texts regarding fire prevention applicable in the Brussels-Capital Region. Most of them are listed below: