Among these requirements was a Risk Analysis of the Al-Badad Historic Center, which we conducted personally.

The Risk Analysis is based on a study of the potential risks (floods, fires, sandstorms, etc.) that can occur in or around Jeddah’s historic center and could have a negative impact on the population, the environment, and its heritage.

Climate change is currently affecting all regions of the world. Recently, rainfall has been occurring less frequently but with greater intensity, causing worse consequences in the Jeddah area. An example: the severe floods that occurred in Jeddah in 2009 and the rains of November 2022

The objective of the study is:

• To determine which risks may have the greatest impact.
• To identify the most vulnerable areas and/or buildings depending on the risk.
• To define what preventive measures have been adopted to address these risks.
• To define the people and organizations that will act in the event of an emergency.
• How each emergency is managed depending on the risk.

The historic center is currently undergoing reconstruction and renovation of various spaces and buildings to orient the area toward tourism (it is a mandatory stopover area for the pilgrimage to Mecca), as the functioning buildings are generally used as shops, cafes, and government offices. The area is also expected to be open for celebrations and possible guided tours by tourists and must therefore be prepared to accommodate a large number of people.

The purpose of the trip was to exchange experiences with the staff of the Health, Safety, Security and Environment (HSSE) Department of the Ministry of Culture, in order to gain information on the organization and operation of the area in the event of an emergency. Its future objective is to fully manage all business activity permits (preventive) and emergency response processes (reactive) within the historic area of ​​Al-Balad. In addition, request information to conduct risk analysis studies.

Climate change is changing the risks that populations in certain areas are accustomed to. This implies re-evaluating them and, above all, raising awareness and training the population about these new risks that may arise.

The post Jeddah Risk Analysis appeared first on MSconsultors.

Registration can be made at these links:
June 29 Course presentation session on Tuesday, June 29 at 6:00 p.m.
September 21 Course presentation session on Tuesday, September 21 at 6:00 p.m.

Our CEO, Jordi Sans, is one of the directors of this Postgraduate Course on Fire Engineering and Risk Analysis organized by EIC.

This training in fire engineering and risk analysis aims to prepare professionals with the knowledge and skills necessary to respond from a comprehensive and transversal perspective to the current safety requirements of companies and institutions.

Thus, this course will provide the following competencies:

• Achieve the complete competencies required for the Basic and Advanced Fire Prevention levels, which will allow candidates to take the Catalan Public Safety Institute tests to obtain the corresponding accreditations.
• Obtain advanced knowledge of fire protection engineering projects.
• Obtain general knowledge of risk analysis and the civil protection system.

Thanks to this training, students will complete the course with a series of essential skills in the fire safety sector:

1. Know and master the techniques necessary to design and manage protection measures in the field of “safety engineering” with a global vision of the sector.
2. Be competent in the design of fire protection measures, both active and passive, as well as performance and prescriptive.
3. Know the numerical simulation tools in the fields of combustion and fire dynamics, structural behavior in the event of a fire, and temperature control and smoke evacuation systems.
4. Know the risk analysis methodologies.
5. Be trained to apply new Industry 4.0 technologies in risk analysis, safety, and fire protection.

In short, an essential course for professionals taught by professionals with the guarantee of top-level academic direction and the organization of the COEIC.

The post The need for specialized training in fire engineering appeared first on MSconsultors.

When prevention and protection are no longer feasible, our work focuses on managing these moments of crisis (emergencies). To do this, on the one hand, we analyze ways to minimize damage. And, at the same time, we prepare to manage them as quickly and efficiently as possible. In an environment as rapidly changing as the one we live in today’s societies, this can be a challenge for any activity.

Municipalities must be organized to deal with any emergency situation (VENTCAT, TRANSCAT, INUNCAT, PLASEQCAT, etc.). The DUPROCIM (Single Municipal Civil Protection Document) is the document that brings together all the plans affecting a given municipality, addresses vulnerable elements, and determines who is responsible for managing the emergency.

We have completed more than fifty DUPROCIMs and participated in the drafting of the Guide to the Single Municipal Civil Protection Document for the Department of the Interior.

Our experience in emergency planning and self-protection has led us to collaborate with the General Directorate of Civil Protection in drafting the Guide to the Single Municipal Civil Protection Document (DUPROCIM). You can access the document at this link: https://interior.gencat.cat/

At the municipal and territorial levels, we have actively participated in establishing the necessary protocols to manage these situations. So much so that we have already developed around fifty DUPROCIMs. Preparing a DUPROCIM involves studying the risks in a specific territory/municipality. Therefore, depending on the resources available, preparing the most appropriate response in the event of an emergency. Some recent examples are Duprocim Cercs and Olvan or Cabrera d’Anoia.

The post Emergency planning and self-protection in the territory appeared first on MSconsultors.

The waste arrives at the recycling plant and is stored until it is processed. During this period, the materials undergo thermal processes that can generate combustion centers. Another risk is the recycling or recovery process itself where automated machinery such as crushers, presses or transport ducts is used, among others. During this phase, the material is subjected to actions that cause thermal displacements and physical effects that can cause a fire at any point in the process.

It is for this reason that more elaborate fire protection solutions than conventional ones are required. Some examples may be systems for detecting and extinguishing sparks in ducts, detection using thermographic cameras or detection by aspiration.

Toxicity, flammability, corrosion risk, explosion risk, etc. require more elaborate fire protection solutions than conventional ones.

To the problem of fire, critical enough in itself, we must add, when we talk about waste, other associated problems. Toxicity, flammability, corrosion risk, explosion risk, etc.

Fires in waste treatment plants not only have effects on economic losses for the employer or job losses for workers, but can also have severe environmental consequences and affect the health of people in the surrounding area. To give an example, we have the fire at a solvent and industrial waste treatment plant in Montornès del Vallès last December where the burning solvent reached the Besòs River.

We know that we need to work on the causes to have some effect on the consequences, for this reason:

• The property must make the necessary investments in adaptations and maintenance of facilities, especially those related to safety.
• It is well known that everyday life lowers the perception of risk. Every day we go to work and nothing ever happens, so we let our guard down, until it happens. Therefore, it is very important to define and implement a training and information calendar for staff.
• It is essential to identify the risks, evaluate them correctly and manage them so that their effects disappear or are minimized. That is why there are companies that specialize in safety.
• At MSConsultors, we have already helped a good number of waste treatment plants.

The Tarragona Waste Incineration Service Plant (SIRUSA), the Can Barba Organic Waste Treatment Plant in Terrassa or the Vallès Waste Treatment Center (CTRV) are some interesting examples of fire engineering applied to this type of facility. We would like to thank you for your trust and commitment to the safety of people, property and the environment.

MSConsultors, as a specialized company, can help waste treatment plant owners to correctly manage the risk of their facilities.

The post Fire safety in waste treatment plants appeared first on MSconsultors.

This weekend, July 18, 2020, the fire at Nantes Cathedral reminded us of the fire that occurred just over a year ago at Notre Dame de Paris. Although the consequences have not been as devastating, these fires, which occur so frequently over time, have made us think:

Why do cathedrals burn?

Throughout history, we find numerous fires that devastate not only cathedrals but entire cities: Rome (64 AD), London (675, 1087, 1135, 1212, and, most famously, 1666), Lübeck (1157, 1251, and 1276), Boston (1872), Chicago (1871), Santander (1941).

All of these fires are large-scale fires that have brought about significant changes in the design of cities, and in many cases, even in construction materials: from wood to stone.

Far from being able to leave fires in the past, they persist in their presence, periodically erupting to remind us that the risk is present and we cannot let our guard down.

We can recall a few: the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Nantes (2020), Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris (2019), the Catholic Cathedral of Sosnowiec (2014), the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in St. Petersburg (2006), the German Cathedral in Berlin (1994), the Tori Cathedral (1997), the archive of the Cathedral Chapter of Córdoba, located in the Mosque-Cathedral (2001), and the Cathedral of León (1966).

Following the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral, our director, Jordi Sans, appeared in various media outlets offering his opinion on the matter. You can access some of his reflections at the following links:

• Interview with Betevé
• We will not let our history burn down. Article published by the Fire Safety Cluster.
• News published in Vilaweb.
• News published in La Vanguardia.

Our Technical Director, Manel Martín, also participated in the Fire Safety Cluster’s conference: Safety in the Event of a Fire Fires in cultural buildings: https://clusterincendis.com/jornada-incendis-edificis-culturals/

With all this, why do cathedrals burn? Well, as is almost always the case, the answer is never simple, but at the very least, we find a combination of factors:

1. Very tall structures that favor the spread of fire.
2. Often, at least in many European cathedrals, wooden structures on the roof. Wood that dries out over the years and, consequently, catches fire more easily.
3. Combinations of decorative elements that can be fatal: paintings, fabrics, wooden altarpieces, candles, and tapers in the same space.
4. Difficulties (due to budget, aesthetics, or conservation) in installing efficient extinguishing systems.
5. Finally, bad faith (a factor that is difficult to control, but one that we also have to consider).

At MS, we work to prevent our cultural heritage from being lost in a fire. In fact, we are working on a good number of cultural buildings in our country to make them safer and ensure their survival over time: all that is needed is to apply existing knowledge, at reasonable costs.

The post Why do cathedrals burn? appeared first on MSconsultors.