You benefit most from our expertise if you let us help you with the design of your building or location from the very beginning. In this way, you can directly integrate the measures (which can be of an architectural or organizational nature) into the initial design. And of course, we will continue to guide you, up to and including delivery and even operation.

During the design and construction phase, the Building Permit and Publication Series on Dangerous Substances (PGS) describes the requirements for storage, fire and structural safety. To be sure that your organization meets all requirements, you can go to the specialist from EFPC.

Be the boss about your own fire safety

Your building can be 100% fire safe, with all kinds of hermetic compartments and closed doors: however, totally unsuitable for your purpose. When striving for the right fire safety level, we are first and foremost guided by the needs of the users.

You are the boss, together with the people in the workplace. But of course, you also have to take into account the legal rules and requirements set by your insurer. The trick is to find a good balance between the legal standards for fire safety and optimal user-friendliness.

A taste of our added value? Come and visit our architect consultation hour!

Evacuation

With fire prevention, the adage is: “prevention is better than extinguishing.” But if you want to prevent damage and suffering, you must also think about the behavior of people in emergency situations. What happens when the alarm goes off? Where do the people run to and is there enough space to flee?

It appears that panic causes many casualties as a result of oppression and a lack of adequate escape routes. EFPC uses computer simulations to see if the building is safe enough to escape.

Fire Safety Engineering (FSE)

With an integrated approach to fire and flight behavior, we increasingly use simulations that map the complex dynamics of human masses. Not only useful for buildings (10,000 visitors to a dance event in a trade fair complex), but also for evacuating trains, parks, stadiums or even entire city districts.

The benefits of simulating are obvious:

• determining the required evacuation time per 1,000 visitors;
• reliable enough for Building Decree calculations for complex buildings;
• helps determine the optimal security measures in a building;
• makes the evacuation process clear and shows what can go wrong;
• provides insight into bottlenecks in the flow of walk within a building;
• Cost-saving because no adjustments are needed afterward.

We regularly see in practice that as a result of simulations we already have made important structural changes during the design phase. That’s why it is of great importance, particularly in the case of new construction, to perform simulations of escape behavior at an early stage. This can save high costs at a later stage.

For existing buildings, simulations also help to save costs, because we can properly demonstrate what is actually needed to make the situation safe. Sometimes moving a wall or adding an extra door is already enough. By demonstrating this, a simulation prevents superfluous (and therefore expensive) measures.

Installations

EFPC is the expert in fire safety systems in the Netherlands. Whether it concerns sprinkler-, gas extinguishing-, water mist-, detection-, evacuation-, emergency lighting- or escape route signage installations, EFPC can advise you in detail and also perform the installation design. Also, together we can explore the main directions for solutions or assist you in the tendering process or in coordination with the fire brigade or insurers. After all, we speak “their language”.

Our employees are often teachers at sprinkler and fire alarm courses, are part of standards committees and have experience with all facets of the consultancy profession. EFPC has also been involved in the realization of the current recognition regulations and is co-founder of both the STEBS exam foundation and the Association of Safety Trainers. In short, your installations are in good hands.

Recognized and certified

EFPC is one of the first fire safety advice bureaus in the Netherlands to be recognized by CIBV as a certified drafter of an Integral Fire Safety Plan and Sprinkler Protection Principle Documents (UPD). As a result, the documents provided by us automatically meet the requirements of insurers and fire brigades.

Among others, we provide the following documents:

• Schedule of Requirements for fire alarm system, evacuation alarm system and smoke control system
• Integrated fire safety plan IPB
• Company fire department report (PGS 29 locations)
• Principles document UPD fire protection systems (including sprinkler water mist and extinguishing gas)
• Report controllability in the event of fire
• Fire load and fire spread calculations
• Evacuation plans and escape route calculations
• Simulations
• Calculation of heat radiation contours
• Fire safety PGS locations