'You don't want to experience it, fire in a school building'

"For the International School of Amsterdam, the safety of our students is of utmost importance. This also includes fire safety. In Fire Prevention MIB, we found the partner who could provide expert input on this and also implement the adopted plan. With us, all measures are now in place for the highest level of fire safety."

Rob Boos, Operations Manager of International School of Amsterdam, is pleased that within his school the major risks of fire have been covered. This minimizes the chance of damage to the building, loss of archives, disruption of processes and - in the worst case scenario - health damage to students. Fire Prevention MIB guided him in this and installed various facilities.

Risk inventory

"Fire prevention in school buildings starts with a thorough risk inventory," says Diederik Elenbaas of Fire Prevention MIB. "We examine how the building is put together and where the risk factors are. We are not guided by laws and regulations. In that case you get stuck at the very lowest level. You shouldn't want that as a school."

BIO measures

The next step consists of the BIO measures to be taken. "This is a combination of measures, which reinforce each other and lead to the desired level of fire safety," Elenbaas explains. "'BIO' stands for Structural, Installation and Organizational Measures. With Structural measures, you can think about fire-resistant materials and partitions and sufficient escape routes. Technical measures include fire alarm and evacuation systems, fire extinguishers and emergency lighting. Organizational measures include the fire-safe use of the building and the duty of care of the installations."

From A to Z

In short, Fire Prevention MIB inventories, advises and executes. Thus, for school buildings, it arranges fire safety from advice to periodic maintenance and management. Elenbaas: "You understand that we can mean the most in this if we are involved at an early stage in the construction of the school. Preferably as early as the design phase."