The lack of standards in most Latin American countries continues to affect the fire industry, however, there are associations such as the NFPA that continue to work to raise awareness for the responsible use of these solutions. By: Duván Chaverra A.
The controversy has no end when it comes to regulations for the fire sector. Most countries in Latin America continue without any type of law that obliges consumers to mandatorily use fire detection systems in their buildings.
However, there is an organization born in the United States that throughout its history has worked for the development of codes and standards that protect property, people and the environment against fire: the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). We took advantage of the experience of one of its main representatives in Latin America to talk about the use of codes in the region.
She is Olga Caledonia, executive director of the NFPA, who initially spoke of the need to adopt at a higher level the rules of the association to prevent accidents caused by fires from continuing to swell the list of tragedies in Latin America, where the lack of similar partnerships have led some countries to create national chapters under the standard of such an association: Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela are the 6 countries that have these.
"It is a fact that most countries in the region have different levels of regulation, either developed locally or referencing international standards, such as those of the NFPA. At the same time, they have a building code, however they incorporate very few requirements in fire safety and we must emphasize that historically, throughout Latin America, the use of NFPA regulations has been disseminated through tender and design documents in important construction projects, "explained the official.
Caledonia also listed some of the codes adopted in the region: "Recently adoptions by reference of several NFPA codes have been formalized in Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, Nicaragua and Colombia. Puerto Rico developed a Fire Code based on NFPA 1, Fire Code and NFPA 101, Life Safety Code. We are all aware of the great fires of the last decade: Ycuá Bolaños, Paraguay (2004); Cromagnon Disco (2004) and Parque Central; Venezuela (2004), and the great sadness of the ABC nursery in Hermosillo, Mexico (2009)".
He added that "our fires are increasingly serious and painful and show us that the magnitude of the fire safety problem in Latin America is as significant as that of developed countries. It is the responsibility of each of the authorities of these countries to determine the level of safety and fire protection for their society. The NFPA is a tool available through its regulations in Spanish and professional development courses for those who design, inspect, approve designs, install, distribute and certify in order to increase the level of human safety and fire protection in our countries. "
Beyond the same legislation
Olga indica highlights the importance of working to sensitize the end user to understand the need to use fire alarm systems, which would benefit the industry in the region.
"Much of our work, and as a short-term solution as we continue to educate authorities in the exercise of fire protection through NFPA regulations, is to work directly with the user: the main stakeholder in protecting their establishment and its inhabitants. He is the one who has the authority to choose qualified and responsible professionals. It is up to us solution connoisseurs to provide regulatory-based advice that defines how to protect through effective methods of designing, testing, installing and maintaining fire protection systems."
The representative of the NFPA assures that the problem in the region goes beyond the legislating laws that force the use of these systems in Latin America, since the substance of the matter is culture and awareness.
"The problem goes beyond the lack of legislation. It is not necessary to travel to any of the great Latin American metropolises and appreciate the progress while we walk through the commercial, industrial and financial centers. Fortunately, most "mega" projects voluntarily involve fire protection, including suppression and alarm, especially if the financing comes from abroad with very specific requirements and demands. The risk occurs in medium/small "non-mega" projects who try to imitate the facades of mega without paying attention to the complexity of the buildings.
On this same aspect, he stressed that the progress in recent years is significant: "We have made a lot of progress. In my 15 years of working with the NFPA I have witnessed great progress and progress, however this also brings with it an increase in risks. We have been fortunate to meet individuals of great professional ethics who recognize our weaknesses and are committed to solving our problems. Many of these professionals are involved in the different National Chapters that the NFPA has authorized in Latin America: Mexico City: Monterrey, Guadalajara; Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Colombia and Venezuela. These small NFPA agencies are at the core of our activities in the region, including lobbying for safety and fire protection regulations."
The executive director of the NFPA mentioned the changes that the association has made in its codes: "In detection and alarm, the Latin American programs of the NFPA have committed to keep the latest edition of NFPA 72 updated in Spanish, since it is one of the codes that is often adopted by reference. The 2010 Spanish version will be available in October of this year. Keep in mind that the NFPA regulation is developed in a balanced, democratic and repeatedly updated way (every three years), which is why many countries in the world use standards and codes by reference without major changes in the body of the code, but generally some local requirements are added so that the document coincides within the national framework. "
The vision of the manufacturers
We also invited three well-known manufacturers of alarm detection systems to tell us about the progress of these solutions and to mention how they are affected by the lack of government regulations that require the use of these systems in commercial constructions.
The guests on this occasion are Carlos Tovilla, operations manager of Securiton, Mexico; Yosti Méndez, sales manager for Latin America at Kidde-Fenwal Inc; and John Niño, commercial director for Latin America at Honeywell Fire Systems.
All agreed to call for a united work in search of the same objective with respect to the issue of mandatory standards in Latin American countries:
- "If we had regulations and really approvals were required, there would be a huge growth with more competitors and players in the market, which continues to grow despite the little culture and knowledge on the subject, but the lack of regulations and codes remains the biggest obstacle to overcome", John Niño.
- "We must be a more united medium. We are several representatives of brands that are making efforts for the promotion of our teams in all countries of Latin America. If all manufacturers joined in the effort to implement standards, we would achieve a force that would overcome the difficulties so that stricter standards are adopted in our countries," Yosti Méndez.
- "The culture of detection is very poor in our country, as well as in Latin America in general, changing this vision is something that we must work together manufacturers, specialists and government authorities of civil protection, with them we would have, under local and international regulations, a greater penetration in the standards of construction and adaptation of real estate for industry and services, detonating with this a greater volume of commercialization of the sector", Carlos Tovilla.
Market news
After the crisis of 2009, the market is already returning to its shape and it is estimated that the growth will be significant from next year: "In Mexico, as in much of Latin America, we are working on the culture of prevention, with the application of fire detection systems either conventional or intelligent, taking advantage of technological advances and their integration into other safety systems, thus achieving efficiency in the area of Safety. At present the implementation of detection systems compared to extinguishing systems is very low, since extinction is first thought of before a detection system. Government authorities and standardization institutions are working on local standards, applicable to our geographical and cultural conditions," said the representative of Securiton.
For his part, the representative of Kidde-Fenwal Inc said that the recovery of the market is already reaching the numbers recorded in 2008: "They have been difficult times, especially in 2009, where the market totally contracted. The trend, however, has shown a rapid recovery almost to 2008 levels. A highlight in South America is the competition of products that arrive from China or other countries in this area, which has caused large manufacturers to have to reduce their margins and prices in detection and notification devices. On the other hand, important countries such as Brazil have continued with an impressive upward trend."
While the John Niño, of Honeywell, said in this regard that "the market has been quite positive and we have a growth trend for the coming years."
Technology
The companies mentioned the latest technological advances in the fire detection industry:
Honeywell: High-speed networks, smoke control, high-specialization smart detectors, video smoke detection and mass notification.
Securiton: "Intelligent systems based on new and more dynamic control panels, multi-criteria smoke and temperature detectors. Technological in early detection with a new generation of High Dinamyc detectors. Development of control and automation interfaces with other security systems such as CCTV, access control.
Kidde-Fenwal Inc: Highly sensitive suction detectors, multi-technology detectors, joining smoke detection and carbon monoxide sensors. In the area of notification systems, new technologies have emerged to perform voice systems digitally.
Leave your comment