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Belgian Fire Regulation

The regulation concerning fire safety is a complicated clutter of regulations and standards, although the European directives get more and more incorporated.

The responsible authorities concerning fire safety in Belgium are the Federal Government, the regional authorities (Flanders, Wallonia, Brussels), communities (Dutch, French and German speaking), provinces and local.

The first level comprises the Federal Government, Communities and Regional authorities, all standing at the same level:
The regional authorities and communities are authorised to deal with often personal matters (like culture, education, welfare,...) and spatial matters (environment, spatial planning,…). As such they are ‘authorised to regulate the specific safety aspects’, i.e. by applying, completing and adjusting the national basic standards, without changing them fundamentally. Besides the specific regulation for hotels, old peoples homes and service flats, rooms, student rooms and day-nurseries, is VLAREM one of the most important Flemish regulations in which information regarding fire safety is to be found.

The Federal Government is responsible for some additional matters. E.g. the Federal Public Service Internal Affaires (FPS IA) is ‘authorised’ to formulate Basic Standards. This means standards which are common to a category of construction independent the destination.

The second level comprises the provinces – like the mayor and the deputy mayor, the Permanent Deputation has, in the frame of construction and environmental permits, the possibility to add conditions to the permits aiming at the improvement of fire safety. Moreover, the Provincial Council can issue police and building directives.

The third level comprises the Mayor, the Municipal Executive and the Municipal Council. The very first fire prevention regulation were regional directives and even today this regional autonomy is one of the basic principles of fire prevention. The Municipal Council can issue police and building directives. The majority of the Flemish communities has police directives concerning fire safety (e.g. for local dance establishments, student rooms, publicly accessible establishments, pubs,…). Apart from this, the Municipal Executive can add conditions to the issuing of building and environmental permits aiming at the improvement of fire safety. These improvements are mostly incorporated in the fire prevention report included in the respective permit. These can go into more detail that what has been incorporated in the basic standards.

Belgian Standards

The designation ‘standard’ is slightly misleading, as it doesn't relates to the rules of good craftsmanship obtainable at the BIN (Belgian Institute for Normalisation), but to a mandatory regulation published in the Belgian Bulletin of Acts and Decrees.
The basic standards determine the minimal requirements which the concept, the construction and decoration of new buildings have to meet.

  • To prevent the breakout, development and propagation of fire
  • Guarantee the safety of the people present
  • Preventative facilitate the intervention of the fire-brigade


Presently the regulation consists of a basic text with e.g. the field of application and the conditions for deviation and of the technical specifications incorporated in the five appendices of the Royal Decree

  • Appendix 1 – Terminology
  • Appendix 2 – Low Buildings
  • Appendix 3 – Semi-high Buildings
  • Appendix 4 – High Buildings
  • Appendix 5 – Reaction of the materials in case of fire

The safety level, as determined in the appendices, varies mainly in function of the height of the building.

Requirements regarding the fire resistance of constructions, are mainly determined in appendices 2, 3 and 4.

The “Basic Standards” also need to be adjusted to the European harmonisation. The new classification of fire resistance (REI) needs to replace the Belgian classification (Rf). According to the RD of 13 June 2007 the new classification documents are already accepted next to the old Belgian classification according to the NBN 713.020 standard.

Since a few years now, Rf-Technologies has been publishing the practical tool ‘Manual Basic Standards’ in which the latest adjustments regarding the published Royal and Ministerial Decrees have been recorded. You can always receive the latest version on request or you can download it here in Dutch or French.