The growing number of electric vehicles in Belgium raises questions about fire safety in parking lots. The "Rule of Good Workmanship - Fire Safety" from vzw Fireforum already anticipates a new RD and is a good guide to take preventive measures.
Fireforum asbl strives to improve fire safety by encouraging dialogue, disseminating knowledge and information, and promoting quality and innovation. The membership list is long and diverse, including governments, sector federations such as Agoria and Fedustria, fire department actors, insurers and actors from the construction industry such as WTCB, Bouwunie, NAV and ORI.
On July 1, 2022, an amendment of the Royal Decree of July 7, 1994 "laying down the basic standards for the prevention of fire and explosion with which buildings must comply" - in short, the "basic fire standards" Royal Decree - will come into force. Certain fire zones are already using the regulations for car parks from the draft text of the R.D. as a basis for their advice on new car parks. When drawing up the Rule of Good Practice - Fire Safety (RVG), Fireforum vzw considered this draft text as a standard for new car parks.
The RGV addresses fire safety in relation to electric and plug-in hybrid passenger cars and charging infrastructure in new and existing parking lots for normal use. The text only mentions additional measures for parking and charging these cars. Indeed, it is assumed that the parking lot already complies with the regulations in force in the areas of fire, electricity (AREI) and environment, and with the requirements of the fire department that are part of the permit.
Currently, there is no evidence that the fire load or risk of starting a fire in parking is greater in electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles than in recent internal combustion engine vehicles. Nevertheless, with the lithium-ion batteries that are primarily used today, there is a risk of a "thermal runaway. This is an electrochemical reaction in the battery that produces heat in addition to toxic and flammable gases that can lead to ignition. The car's battery management takes preventive action against this, but it is not flawless.
It is therefore necessary to take preventive measures that
The draft text of the new RD includes measures for fire control during the vehicle fire phase in new buildings. The RGV builds on this:
For electrical safety in charging infrastructure, the AREI was extended. Four issues stand out in this regard:
Obviously, we cannot explain in detail all the measures and possible situations in this short article. It is good to know that the RGV of vzw Fireforum and the adaptation of the RD from 01/07/2022 clearly frame the new standards, and that the measures to be taken are feasible. Ingenium can perform a risk analysis to correctly assess the current or future situation, and then also ensure that the standards are fully and correctly applied.
Want to know more about fire safety in parking lots when parking and/or charging electric vehicles? Contact our expert at: pieter.sturbois@ingenium.be or T 050 40 45 30.
For your information: You can read more about the mandatory installation of charging infrastructure for electric cars and what to consider in this article.
