INSPECT: a New Approach for Fire Safety in Existing Premises

Fire safety in existing premises is one of the major concerns for the Italian National Fire Corps, not only in terms of intervention in the case of fire, but also for determining specific preventive regulations and countermeasures. This concern is based on the fact that the deterministic regulations that are generally used in Italy for defining prescriptions for new premises are not always easily applicable to existing constructions, and because the use of Fire Safety Engineering simulations seems to be too difficult for widespread application. Alternatively, a vulnerability assessment could be more suitable since it aims to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the premises in terms of fire safety. Consequently, the countermeasures for obtaining predefined levels of safety can be determined and customized. The paper illustrates the INSPECT approach (INspection and Study of Potential Emergency-scenarios for Countermeasure Tailoring) designed by the SPRINT-Lab of the University of Udine, and recently used by the Italian Interior Ministry to write new fire safety regulations. In particular, its effectiveness for safety management and emergency planning is underlined.