1. Issues

1.1 Burden of building fires

Fires, i.e. fires that cannot be controlled, are a major issue in most countries. Mortality caused by building fires ranges from 0.02 to 8 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants per year, depending on the country; the direct cost of the associated losses is estimated at between 0.02 and 0.2% of gross domestic product. In France, these fires cause 1 death per 100,000 inhabitants per year, and the direct cost is estimated at 0.2% of gross domestic product. At the same time, the cost of building protection measures is estimated at around 2.5% of the cost of construction (for all these figures, see