Jordi Sans, founding partner of MSconsultors and an expert in fire prevention, has been interviewed by El Punt Avui in a feature on fire prevention and safety in businesses.

With the headline “Often, fire prevention in companies falls to ex-police officers”, the interview highlights the importance of having specialised professionals, adequate training and proper emergency planning to reduce risks and improve the response capability in the event of a fire.

During the conversation, Jordi Sans comments that fire prevention and protection measures have evolved considerably and that having a well-drafted, correctly implemented Self-Protection Plan (PAU), accompanied by adequate training, is essential for responding to an emergency.

He also highlights the need to continue strengthening training and professionalisation in the fire safety sector, especially in light of the shortage of specialised personnel.

In the interview, Jordi Sans also highlights the fire safety sector in Catalonia, which he considers to be extensive and cross-cutting. In this context, he emphasises the role of the Catalonia Fire Safety Cluster (CLÚSIC) and the need to continue working to ensure qualified professionals and quality training.

At MSconsultors we continue to work on emergency planning, fire protection, risk analysis, self-protection plans and training, helping companies and organisations to be prepared for potential emergency situations.

See the full interview in El Punt Avui:

Read the full interview (in Catalan)

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A meeting that brought together professionals and experts from the sector to analyze the new features of this regulation, which replaces the one that had been in force since 2004, and which represents an important step in updating fire safety criteria in the industrial world.

A regulation that looks to the future

During the day, the focus was on the main changes introduced by the RESCIEI, especially in relation to:

• The increase in the maximum areas of fire sectors, adapted to the risk of the activity.
• Redefinition of the intrinsic risk levels of industrial establishments.
• The modernization of technical criteria, taking into account the use of new technologies and harmonisation with European regulations.

These modifications have a direct impact on both new projects and the review of existing installations, and for this reason it is key to have the right advice.

Sharing knowledge, improving safety

MSconsultors’ participation in this conference reflects our commitment to continuous training, improving industrial safety and collaborating with sector initiatives. Conferences like this allow us to share knowledge, resolve technical doubts and discuss the best practical application of the regulations.

At MSconsultors we are ready to help companies, industries and engineering companies adapt to the new RESCIEI. We offer comprehensive services of:

• Technical advice and regulatory compliance analysis
• Installation adaptation and design projects
• Performance calculations, simulations and security audits
• Writing and updating of Self-Protection Plans

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For this reason, every year we collaborate with several town councils in the writing and updating of Self-Protection Plans (PAU) for festive and municipal events. Some of the most emblematic examples are the Carnival and the Cavalcada de Reis of Santa Coloma de Gramenet, where year after year we have the honor of contributing to a safe and well-organized celebration.

Why is a PAU needed at a festive event?

A Self-Protection Plan is much more than a technical document. It is an essential tool that identifies the risks associated with the activity, plans human and material resources, and establishes action protocols for any emergency situation.

These outdoor events, with large crowds, floats, fireworks or music, require a detailed and personalized study to guarantee their safety.

Experience and specialization at the service of municipalities

Thanks to our experience in civil protection and safety engineering, we offer city councils solutions adapted to current regulations and the specific characteristics of each event.

Our work not only focuses on drafting the PAU, but also on advice, coordination with security and emergency services, and support for municipal administrations throughout the process.

Committed to citizen safety

We firmly believe that parties and safety can go hand in hand. At MSconsultors we work to make it possible.

If you are a municipal technician or part of a public event organization, contact us. We will help you plan with guarantees and peace of mind.

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Drills are a fundamental tool to validate the organization’s response capacity, improve internal coordination and with emergency services, and ensure that all those involved know their role in the event of an incident.

The scenario: a chemical emergency

The company subject to the drill works with dangerous chemical products and, therefore, the level of risk is high. In this context, the correct planning and execution of the PAU is vital.

The drill represented a leak of flammable product in a production area, activating:

• Internal alert and evacuation of personnel
• Activation of the emergency control center
• Intervention of self-protection teams
• Communication with external emergency services

All of this was carried out under the technical supervision of the MSconsultors team, which evaluated the development of the drill and prepared the corresponding report.

What do we evaluate in a drill?

A drill is not just an operational test. It is a training and continuous improvement tool. During the day, aspects such as:

• The reaction time and activation of the plan
• The effectiveness of communication channels
• The appropriate use of protective equipment
• The understanding of the roles assigned in the PAU
• The capacity to coordinate with external services

All this data is collected to detect improvements, strengthen weak points and better prepare personnel.

Why is it essential to conduct drills?

Especially in environments with chemical or industrial risk, drills allow:

• Validate the viability of the PAU
• Reduce improvisation in real situations
• Align internal protocols with current regulations
• Improve the preventive culture within the company

MSconsultors, your ally in self-protection

At MSconsultors, we are specialists in emergency planning and in the drafting and implementation of complete Self-Protection Plans adapted to each case.

• Writing of PAUs
• Coordination of drills
• Evaluation and training of personnel
• Support in audits and inspections

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We are pleased to announce that MSconsultors has been awarded again as responsible for the Self-Protection Technical Assistance Service of Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC), a key project to guarantee the safety of thousands of users, workers and visitors who use its operations every year.

With this award, our team will carry out the tasks of review, implementation and maintenance of Self-Protection Plans (PAU) in the different FGC operations, which cover a wide variety of environments and activities.

Areas of action

The current contract includes a wide territorial and functional coverage:

• Espot and Port Ainé ski resorts
• La Vall de Núria
• The exploitation of Montserrat (Cermallera, Funiculars and complementary services)
• FGC operational centers
• Metropolitan railway lines: Barcelona-Vallès and Llobregat-Anoia

These facilities have very diverse characteristics: from natural mountain environments and ski resorts with a large influx of public, to metropolitan train lines with high traffic density and critical infrastructures. All of them require specific and adapted self-protection strategies.

Our goal: real and effective safety

Self-protection Plans are living documents that must be kept up to date and implemented correctly. Our team of experts will work to:

• Review and improve existing PAUs according to current regulations
• Implement procedures to ensure their effective application
• Train personnel involved in responding to emergencies
• Coordinate real-life drills and practices
• Ensure comprehensive risk management, taking into account the specificities of each operation

A trusted partnership

MSconsultors has been collaborating with FGC in the field of self-protection and safety for years. This new award consolidates a relationship based on trust, technical rigor and commitment to public safety.

Why is it important to have up-to-date PAUs?

PAUs are mandatory by regulation and essential to guarantee an effective response to any emergency situation: fires, evacuations, adverse weather conditions or technical incidents. But, above all, they are a key tool to protect lives and minimize damage.

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Climate change is causing a progressive reduction in water reserves in Catalonia, placing us in an increasingly frequent water emergency scenario. For this reason, at MSconsultors, we are proud to have collaborated with the Caldes de Malavella City Council in drafting its Drought Emergency Plan, a strategic tool for effectively managing municipal water resources.

Diagnosis of the territory and available resources

Caldes de Malavella has a network of 18 wells and also receives water from the Ter reservoirs, managed by the Catalan Water Agency (ACA). To prepare the Plan, the following was analyzed:

• The available volumes at the different collection points.
• The water demand of the population.
• The transportation losses within the network.
• The infrastructures and supply capacity of the municipality.

A phased adaptive strategy

Following the ACA guidelines, the Plan establishes drought phases (normal, pre-alert, alert, exceptional and emergency) and defines a set of progressive measures to reduce water consumption in each phase, such as:

• Limitation of irrigation and recreational uses.
• Reduction of non-essential municipal consumption.
• Campaigns citizen awareness.
• Strengthening surveillance and leak control.

These measures have been agreed with the City Council and aim to preserve available resources for as long as possible.

The importance of municipal Drought Plans

Municipalities play a fundamental role in efficient water management. Drought Plans not only help to prevent critical situations, but also allow planning the response in an orderly and coherent manner with the local reality.

Our commitment to the planet

At MSconsultors, we work to help administrations face the environmental challenges arising from climate change. We are committed to rigorous technical solutions, adapted to each territory and with a sustainable vision of the future.

With the Caldes de Malavella Drought Plan, we contribute to guaranteeing rational use of water and protecting an essential resource for the life and development of municipalities.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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