Fire Protection

Get all the important information by watching our fire safety video (in german).

All events at the University of Zurich must comply with the applicable fire regulations. This means that advertising materials must have the following certificates: Certificate according to VKF (Swiss standard) min. RF2 not critical (cr) or SN EN 13501. 

It is mandatory to insist on the required certificates for all materials. Materials must be reported in advance to Cem Yildiz, UZH Fire Safety Officer, including details of certificates.

The University of Zurich has provided information to certain producers of advertising and communication materials, thus they are recommended by us.

Fact Sheets Fire Protection (in German)

Here you will find all the important FAQ on the subject of fire protection. Terms and Definitions:

• Event: By an event we mean the following (list not exhaustive): Exhibition, aperitif, dinner with banquet seating, disco, pop concerts, trade fairs with exhibition rooms, trade exhibitions, / trade congresses, etc.
• Stand infrastructure: stand structures, tables, chairs, blankets, carpets, tablecloths, roll-ups, flags, banners, etc.
• Decorations: Decorating, artistic decoration of a room or building in the totality of decorative items placed in a room or on an object, such as balloons, streamers, decor, plants (artificial), etc. Decorations made of solid wood (e.g. boards sawn on all sides, board thickness ≥ 10 mm) are also permitted where RF2 material is required.
• Displays and exhibits: exhibits, flyers and giveaways in a limited display and number.

Every building and every room at UZH is affected by fire protection laws. Anyone wishing to hold an event at UZH in a bookable room or area must assume that, as an event organizer, they are within the scope of the applicable fire protection laws. Our atriums in the KOL (Lichthof and Foyer West) and at Irchel are particularly affected by this.

The person limit applicable to the room must not be exceeded under any circumstances. This is based on usage as well as the number and width of emergency exits. Depending on the type of event, this can also be further limited after the room has been booked. 

A room that is used as an exhibition, party, aperitif area, as mentioned in the question as an example, is considered a room with public traffic here only decorative elements may consist of material of the fire behavior class RF2 (flame retardant).

These are special areas in which, with regard to the specifications, special requirements must be met due to their structural extent and nature. 

These include that the stand infrastructure (see terms and definitions) must consist of at least flame-retardant material. Displays (see terms and definitions) may only be laid out in a small and manageable quantity. Storage for spare materials may not be in the same room as the events, but must be kept in a separate room. Each of these events must be inspected and approved by the Fire Safety and Emergency Management (SU) Specialist. Unannounced inspections by the Specialist Office during the event are possible.

Everything that can be made from a building material or component consists of materials that have either already been tested and approved in terms of their fire behavior (see recognized building materials) or have been tested by a recognized testing body in terms of their fire behavior either by the Swiss VKF (Association of Cantonal Fire Insurers) or a testing institute based in the EU.

This means that all building materials classified in the list of recognized building materials in RF 1 or RF 2 may be used without a certificate, and everything else requires a certificate issued in accordance with VKF or certification SN EN 13501:-.

No. Fire behavior tests performed on building materials or components deviating from the test procedures according to VKF or the European harmonized SN EN 13501:- must not be accepted in Switzerland.

In general, the entire material used in a building must meet the requirements. It is often the case with stand constructions that core elements are made of wood or other building materials. These must be completely encapsulated with non-combustible or flame-retardant material of sufficient thickness. The Fire Protection and Emergency Management Department will be pleased to provide you with information.

Mobile devices in a small number can be brought along. Electronic equipment built into the stand infrastructure must meet one of the following requirements according to Fire Safety Guideline 14-15 5.3 1: 

a SN EN 62368-1:2014 Equipment for audio / video, information and communication technology - Part 1: Safety requirements; 
b SN EN 60950-1+A11+A1+A12+A2-AC:2011 Information technology equipment - Safety - Part 1: General requirements; 
c SN EN 60065+A1+A11+A2+A12:2011 Audio, video and similar electronic equipment - Safety requirements.

On the Fire Prevention website you will find all current leaflets on the subject of fire protection at events. 

For you as an event organizer, the following leaflets and guidelines are particularly relevant: 

• Materialization catalog with sources of supply for certified material.
• MB guideline materialization list for events and exhibitors
• Materialization guideline for organizers and exhibitors 
• Guidelines Events at UZH 

If you have any questions, you can contact the person responsible for organizational fire protection, Cem Yildiz, directly.

For suppliers who produce fire protection-certified roll-ups and flags, please contact the event management team. They will be happy to give you appropriate recommendations.