An article entitled, ‘Brazil Burning’ in the November/December 2019 issue of the NFPA Journal gives examples of the breakdown in what the National Fire Protection Association is now terming the country’s ‘fire and life safety ecosystem’.
Recent fire incidents in Brazil
In the NFPA Journal article, Angelo Verzoni, of the writing staff at the National Fire Protection Association, lists the September 12, 2019 Badim Hospital fire in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil that killed 11 people, the January 2019 soccer camp fire, in which 10 teenagers lost their lives, the September 2018 fire that destroyed Brazil’s historic National Museum and the 2013 Kiss Nightclub fire that took more than 240 lives, as examples of fire safety code compliance problems.
The effort to improve codes following the Kiss Nightclub Fire incident is still continuing
The effort to improve codes following the Kiss Nightclub Fire incident is still continuing and the article notes that the Rio de Janeiro fire code was updated just two weeks prior to the hospital fire. The Rio fire code now references more than 20 NFPA codes and standards, but National Fire Protection Association representatives emphasize that their ecosystem approach requires more than simple code adoption.
Need for enforcement of fire safety codes
Continued inspection of properties and enforcement of fire safety codes is often overlooked in Brazil and public education relating to fire safety is also lacking.
Furthermore, the economic turmoil in the country, over the past few years, has pushed fire safety issues aside and greater investment in fire safety, including fire sprinkler systems, is the need of the hour.