On 10 December 2024, members of the SFPE Benelux Board participated in a “Fire Safe” afternoon with peers at Brussels Airport (BAC). During the gathering, fire safety experts from BAC provided valuable insights into the fire safety strategy behind the iconic Sky Hall building, which has been fully and sustainably renovated.
The event included a guided visit to the Sky Hall, a lively debate on the challenges of fire safety at airports, and concluded with a network drink.
A special thank you to Thilde Jacquemyn and Peter Meersschaert for making this event possible.
Every year, SFPE Benelux visit unique buildings and infrastructure sites—each with their own specific fire and life‑safety complexities. Recent visit Brussels Airport, Belgium’s most critical transportation hub.
Airports – Insights from Brussels Airport
- Massive passenger flows require robust and highly coordinated evacuation routes and strategies.
- Diverse functions—retail, baggage handling, tunnels, technical zones—create numerous ignition and spread risks.
- Operations run 24/7, so fire‑safety measures must integrate without interrupting critical processes.
- Many stakeholders (airport management, airlines, contractors, security teams) must align on responsibilities and procedures.
- Redundant detection, suppression, and smoke‑control systems are essential due to the scale and critical nature of the site.
What You Learn as a Fire Engineer ?
- How fire‑safety principles work in the real world, including where regulations fit, where they don’t, and how engineering judgement bridges the gap.
- How systems behave in complex environments, giving you insights that no drawing, model, or calculation can fully capture.
- How peers and building operators think and work, offering valuable operational knowledge and practical experience you can’t learn from books.