Education

Protecting students and reassuring staff

Elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, and universities welcome large numbers of students, teachers, and staff every day. In these often older and heavily occupied environments, fire safety is a major human and regulatory concern.

Fire protection systems must enable rapid detection of a fire, clear notification, and efficient evacuation. DEF works with local governments and educational institutions to design, modernise, and maintain their fire safety systems to ensure safe and compliant learning environments.

Safety of students and staff
Rapid and controlled evacuation
Regulatory compliance of public access buildings

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Strict requirements for educational institutions

Schools are subject to the fire safety regulations applicable to type R public buildings, which are designed to protect students, staff, and visitors. The requirements cover, in particular, fire detection, fire alarms, smoke exhaust systems, and training occupants in evacuation procedures.

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Safety regulations for public access buildings

Decree of 25 June 1980 – Type R public access buildings
Educational institutions must be equipped with a fire safety system appropriate for their capacity and layout in order to quickly detect any fire and trigger an evacuation.
Decree of 25 June 1980
Fire safety system

The fire safety system is mandatory based on capacity
School buildings that accommodate a large number of occupants must be equipped with a fire safety system capable of managing alarms, safety procedures, and evacuation.
Fire safety system
Smoke exhaust systems for hallways

Safety regulations for public access buildings
Hallways, stairwells, and enclosed areas must be equipped with smoke exhaust systems to remove smoke and ensure safe evacuation conditions.
Smoke extraction
Alarm tailored to the occupants

Accessibility and safety in public buildings
Alarm systems must be detectable by all occupants, including people with disabilities, through appropriate audible and visual alarms.
Accessibility and safety in public buildings
Evacuation drills

Education Code
Evacuation drills should be held regularly to train students and staff in safety procedures.
French Education Code
Inspections and maintenance

Regulatory inspections of equipment
Fire safety systems must undergo periodic inspections to ensure they are functioning properly and comply with regulations.

Major fire hazards in education

Schools present specific risks related to their use and the variety of educational activities that take place there.

Outdated electrical systems

Old or overloaded electrical systems remain the leading cause of fires in schools. (INRS, 2023)

Educational materials and equipment

Classrooms, workshops, or laboratories may contain flammable materials or equipment that generates heat.

Work in an occupied facility

Renovation or maintenance work carried out during the school year may temporarily increase the risk of fire.

High occupancy density

Hallways, classrooms, and common areas can accommodate a large number of students at the same time, which increases the risk of transmission and complicates evacuation.

Dormitories

Dormitories and rest areas require particularly reliable detection systems to ensure that occupants are alerted quickly, especially at night.

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Classrooms and hallway

Classrooms and hallway
Dormitories and boarding schools
Laboratories and educational workshops
Computer labs
Dining halls and commercial kitchens

DEF at a glance

80 %
Some schools were built before 1980 and require their fire safety systems to be upgraded. (Ministry of National Education, 2024)

3 fire drills
per year are mandatory in elementary and middle schools. (Education Code)

5 minutes
is the critical timeframe for safely evacuating a school building. (DGSCGC, 2022)

70 %
of fires often start in utility rooms or kitchens. (INRS, 2023)

Applied solutions

Schools need fire safety systems that are reliable, easy to use, and easy to maintain. The solutions deployed by DEF help protect students and staff while making it easier for technical teams to manage the installations on a day-to-day basis.

High-performance, intuitive fire detection

Fire detection systems must be adapted to the specific requirements of school buildings and provide rapid alerts. DEF solutions incorporate high-performance detectors and alarm systems tailored to the various areas of a facility.

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Automatic fire suppression for sensitive areas

In commercial kitchens and certain laboratories, automatic fire suppression systems using water mist or inert gas can respond quickly while minimising damage to equipment.

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systeme sonorisation incendie protection classe

Safety public address system and voice alarm

Safety public address systems are used to broadcast clear alert messages to guide students and staff during an evacuation, particularly in gymnasiums, boarding schools, or multipurpose halls

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Fire safety oversight and installation management

Monitoring platforms such as Fire360 makes it possible to centralise fire safety system information and control alarms and equipment in one or more buildings from a single location. In addition, the Mon SSI Facile gives operators and facility managers quick access to the key information from their system, making alarm verification and the handling of alerts easier.

It also simplifies regulatory compliance by centralising the documents, maintenance reports, and information needed to prepare for safety inspections, with full traceability of the actions taken.

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Our services

DEF supports you at every stage of your fire safety

We offer services tailored to your needs, to support you effectively and guarantee quality results.

DEF teams are present throughout the country

DEF works with local governments and schools throughout France to provide fire safety system audits, installation, and maintenance.

Keep your schools safe

Contact the DEF experts to have your facilities assessed and identify the solutions best suited to your organisation.

Talk to an expert

Protecting students and reassuring staff

Strict requirements for educational institutions

Safety regulations for public access buildings

Fire safety system

Smoke exhaust systems for hallways

Alarm tailored to the occupants

Evacuation drills

Inspections and maintenance