On Saturday 10th November, Minister for Security and the Interior Jan Jambon and representatives of the transport companies will sign an agreement on the identification of energy sources used in vehicles. The energy source will be made visible by a standardised symbol and will be quickly and correctly recognisable by the emergency services. This will enable them to optimise their safety at the scene of an incident and the treatment of victims.
In addition to petrol and diesel vehicles, more and more vehicles with alternative energy sources (LPG, CNG, hydrogen, etc.) and hybrid vehicles combining several sources are on the road. Each energy source requires a specific approach and equipment from firefighters.
International symbols on vehicles
The ISO 17840 standard establishes the international standardisation of information that the industry and car manufacturers make available to fire brigades, but also to the police and recovery companies. The representatives of the Belgian transport companies (TEC, De Lijn, STIB/MIVB and FBAA) commit themselves to using these international symbols by affixing labels on their vehicles. They formalised this commitment by signing a Memorandum of Understanding on the occasion of the "Fire, Rescue and New Challenges" seminar organised by the CTIF (International Association of Fire and Rescue Services). The fire brigade experts of the Federal Knowledge Centre for Civil Protection (KCCE), who represent Belgium within CTIF, are the architects of this ISO standard, of its international development and of the consultation with the representatives of the transport companies that led to the signing of this national agreement today.
More information on CTIF: www.ctif.org
