SFPE European Conference & Expo on Fire Safety Engineering to be held 29-30 March 2023 in Berlin, Germany, with Virtual Viewing Option Available

The Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE), the world’s leading professional society for fire protection and fire safety engineering, announces the 2023 SFPE European Conference & Expo on Fire Safety Engineering will be held in Berlin, Germany, from 29-30 March, with a virtual viewing option available. The SFPE European Conference & Expo on Fire Safety Engineering is the place where SFPE members, fire protection engineers, and fire safety professionals from Europe and beyond come together to learn, to network, to engage, and to be inspired.  

The conference will feature over 40 presentations structured around the topics of fire protection, structural fire engineering, building envelopes, resilience, sustainability, digitization, human behavior, wildland fires, mass timber, fire testing, fire dynamics, and smoke control, plus additional poster presentations. The opening keynote will feature Jose L. Torero, PhD, CEng, FSFPE, on the topic of competence and responsibility. Speakers will present live from the conference and attendees have the option to register for in-person attendance or virtual viewing. 

Additional keynotes and general session presentations include: 

• Peter Holland, CBE QFSM FIFireE (Life), on regulating fire safety in England  
• Irene de Lezcano-Mujica Gonzalez, MEng (Hons), AIFireE, on the changing role of a fire engineer, UK perspective  
• Prof. Bart Merci, on the importance of competency in fire safety engineering  
• Peter Senez, PEng, FSFPE, on the SFPE Foundation’s research, tools and education to address fires in the wildland-urban interface 
• Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jochen Zehfuss, on performance-based design applications in Germany 

The conference will provide additional value to attendees with leading companies proudly showcasing their products and offerings in the expo.  

The conference is being co-chaired by Udo Kirchner, president of the SFPE Germany Chapter, and Karl Wallasch, president of the SFPE UK Chapter. Wallasch noted: “We are extremely proud to have secured excellent global industry leaders as keynote speakers and expert presentations, as well as leading companies supporting the event’s expo. The overall technical content of the conference will be of exceptional quality, depth, and breadth!”  

The SFPE European Conference & Expo on Fire Safety Engineering is generously sponsored by Protectowire Fire Systems, Siemens, and the SFPE Germany Chapter. A limited number of sponsorships and exposition spaces remain available. 

“This conference will take place in Germany but will be highly relevant for a European and international audience,” continued Kirchner. “The social program will allow our guests to explore Berlin and learn about its unique history, and the new virtual option this year will allow even greater participation – specifically from those not able to travel to beautiful Berlin.”  

SFPE will also host three pre-conference seminars. These seminars require an additional registration fee and are open to both conference attendees and those not attending. Topics include: 

• Introduction to Fire Risk Assessment; includes a hardcover copy of new SFPE Guide to Fire Risk Assessment 
• Introduction to Performance-Based Design (Engineering Solutions) and Regulation in Europe 
• Understanding Human Behavior in Fires 

Make plans to join your peers from Europe and beyond as the global fire protection and fire safety engineering community convenes at the SFPE European Conference & Expo on Fire Safety Engineering. To learn more and to register, call +1-301-718-2910 or visit sfpe.org/europe23.