What you need to know.
Fire Safety Engineering (FSE) is a performance-based approach to fire protection.Instead of following rigid prescriptions, it uses advanced calculations, fire simulations, and engineering judgment to design tailored fire safety strategies.
In Italy, this method is officially recognized and referred to as the “Approccio Ingegneristico” (Engineering Approach) or “Approccio Prestazionale” (Performance-Based Approach). It is fully integrated into the Italian Fire Code as an Alternative Solution path.
Traditional fire safety in Italy follows a prescriptive approach, with strict rules and standard solutions.
But when you’re investing in a complex industrial site — such as a logistics hub, factory, or chemical plant — that can mean high costs, wasted space, or operational limits.
With FSE, we design smarter, leaner systems.
This often means:
Lower passive fire protection costs (walls, doors, compartments)
Optimized active systems (sprinklers, detection, smoke control)
Fewer restrictions on storage quantities, people capacity, or internal layouts
Same safety level. Smarter, more cost-efficient design.
La prevenzione incendi può essere affrontata in due modi diversi: l’approccio tradizionale, basato su norme rigide e strumenti di calcolo semplici e l’approccio ingegneristico-prestazionale (Fire Safety Engineering), più avanzato che simula gli incendi tramite modelli di calcolo. In Italia, il ricorso alla Fire Safety Engineering è possibile per tutte le attività utilizzando il Codice di Prevenzione Incendi e la soluzione alternativa.
Grazie alla Fire Safety Engineering è possibile ridurre i costi di adeguamento antincendio in quanto si riducono le misure di protezione passiva necessarie e si ottimizzano gli impianti antincendio. Inoltre, questa strategia permette di ridurre le limitazioni all’attività, come ad esempio in termini di quantitativi di materiale stoccato o affollamento, senza compromettere la sicurezza degli occupanti dell’edificio.
Approved by Italian Fire Authorities
FSE is not an exception — it’s a regulated method.
Every FSE-based project is submitted to and approved by the Corpo Nazionale dei Vigili del Fuoco, just like standard designs.
We handle the full process: calculations, documentation, simulations, and authority interface.
We use real fire modelling — not just standard ISO 834 curves — to assess thermal loads on structural elements more precisely and cost-effectively.
By simulating realistic fire scenarios based on fuel type, geometry, and ventilation, we can calculate actual thermal stress and second-order effects like expansion and instability.
This allows us to reduce or eliminate passive fire protection (e.g., intumescent coatings or boards), even on exposed steel, while remaining fully compliant with Italian fire code requirements.
The result? Lower costs, leaner structures, and fewer fire load limitations — all approved by Italian Fire Authorities.
Standard regulations set minimum vent surface areas — but real fire engineering allows smarter, more effective solutions.
By modeling fire development within the specific geometry of your facility, we assess the actual efficiency of natural ventilation systems, even when openings are smaller than prescribed.
In many cases, existing windows and facade elements can be used to meet fire ventilation needs, avoiding structural work and reducing upgrade costs.
When mechanical extraction is required, we optimize both the size and placement of fans and vents, minimizing energy use, architectural impact, and installation costs — all while meeting Italian fire safety compliance.
Fire Safety Engineering removes rigid constraints on minimum widths and maximum escape distances. Instead, we assess the actual time required for people to evacuate (RSET), taking into account the fire detection system, the type of alarm, the occupants’ familiarity with the building, and their physical and psychological condition during evacuation.
This time is then compared with the available safe egress time (ASET), which reflects how long safe conditions are maintained along escape routes during a fire. Through this approach, we can define the most effective and secure evacuation paths while guaranteeing a high level of occupant protection.
One of the major advantages is that, in many cases, existing escape paths are already sufficient to ensure safe evacuation, eliminating the need for costly structural modifications.
By modeling natural fire development, we can effectively address critical issues related to separation distances — including radiative heat transfer, structural collapse risk, and the spacing between fire compartments or adjacent activities. Through advanced thermal analysis, we also verify whether existing walls already provide sufficient fire separation, often avoiding the need for additional protective layers or reconstruction.
This engineering approach leads to significant savings in both time and cost, while simplifying the fire prevention approval process. Compartmentation is never evaluated in isolation, but always in conjunction with structural fire resistance and overall fire protection strategies, to ensure the highest level of safety for both people and assets.
Traditional fire protection design in Italy doesn’t allow engineers to quantify the real impact of suppression systems on fire behavior or structural safety. The Fire Safety Engineering (FSE) approach changes that.
By modeling the interaction between fire and suppression systems, we can accurately assess how a specific sprinkler or suppression setup reduces fire intensity and thermal stress. This includes analyzing activation times, detection delays, and the dynamics of smoke and heat evacuation — allowing us to resolve potential conflicts between systems before they arise.
One of the most valuable advantages of this method is the ability to demonstrate the true effectiveness of control and suppression systems. This often justifies a leaner design, making the most of modern system performance while avoiding unnecessary structural protections or oversized smoke extraction systems — all while staying compliant with Italian fire safety regulations.
Photovoltaic panels installed on industrial rooftops are considered an additional fire risk under Italian regulations. Specific constraints apply to their placement, and a formal risk assessment is required to evaluate their impact on overall fire safety.
Through Fire Safety Engineering (FSE), we can simulate fire scenarios to understand how flames, heat, or smoke might propagate from the building to the PV system — or vice versa. For example, we analyze whether smoke vents or structural openings could allow a fire to reach the solar array or if a panel-originated fire could threaten the facility below.
In the context of rising energy costs and growing reliance on renewable sources, this type of fire risk evaluation is more relevant than ever. The flexibility of FSE also enables us to justify non-standard PV installations, maximizing roof coverage and energy output without compromising fire safety or regulatory compliance.
Engineered fire protection, fully compliant with Italian regulations.
We deliver compliant, cost-effective fire safety designs for new constructions, expansions, or change of use — always aligned with Italian regulations.
For large or complex sites, we draft your Fire Safety Management Plan, ensuring operational safety and regulatory alignment after approval.
We engineer fire protection systems that meet code but avoid overdesign. Efficient, targeted, and ready for integration into your plant layout.
Discover how we can solve your fire safety challenge in Italy.
