IFSS Coalition: LABC setting standards internationally

LABC has joined 30 other government organisations and professional bodies from across the globe at the United Nations building in Geneva, to commit to developing and supporting a shared set of standards for fire safety in buildings.

Dedicated to creating a coherent international approach to fire safety, The International Fire Safety Standards (IFSS) Coalition will develop a high level set of standards to reinforce the minimum requirements professionals should uphold, to ensure building safety in the event of a fire, informing the design, construction, and management of buildings to address the risks associated with fire safety.

Once the high-level standards are developed, the IFSS Coalition will work with professionals around the world to deliver the standards locally. The standards will be owned by the IFSS Coalition and not by any one organisation.

As its first order of business the IFSS Coalition will set up a Standards Setting Committee that will draw on a group of international technical fire experts to develop and write the high-level standards to ensure they are fit for purpose across global markets. 

“All over the world we see the need for more high-rise structures, some residential, some commercial and some mixed-use buildings, particularly in cities. Our concern is not with the height of these buildings but with the risks they pose in the absence of a coherent and harmonised approach to setting global standards in fire safety.

"The effort by the IFSS Coalition aims to address this concern and bring together the design, construction and management aspects of ensuring fire safety of building assets in the public interest.”  Gary Strong, Chair of the IFSS Coalition and RICS Global Building Standards Director.