Want to build more tall wooden houses in Jönköping - raises fire safety requirements

- We want to create a Jönköpings model and have an active and knowledgeable rescue service. In the wooden houses that are built over two floors, we try to agree with the builders on fire protection in addition to the building permit rules, says Anders Samuelsson (C), chairman of the city building board.

This means, among other things, that in some houses, housing sprinklers are installed in the apartments, but also that one is extra careful how the facade and the eaves on the houses are designed, and have a good control program during the construction period.

- An installation of sprinklers is something that greatly increases fire protection, very much, says Samuel Nyström fire manager in Jönköping.

But the wooden houses that are being built today and meet the legal requirements are just as safe for the residents as multi-family houses that are built in other materials. What the discussion is often about is that a rather small fire, which in another construction had led to small damages confined to an apartment, in a wooden house can instead lead to total damage. So happened in a tiled student accommodation with wooden frame in Luleå during a fire six years ago. A fire on a fireplace caused the entire property to be demolished.

The government has stated that they want to increase the construction of apartment blocks in the future and in Jönköping a new area of ​​apartment blocks in Åsen is planned, between Mariebo and Samset. The big benefit of building wood is that the climate impact is reduced. Research has shown that carbon dioxide emissions decrease by about 40 per cent in the case of wooden house construction. In addition, wooden house building favors the rural labor market because many wooden house companies are there.

But this must go hand in hand with the fire protection and there is currently work on designing new building rules for fire protection. The Fire Protection Association and the insurance industry have had views on current legislation that is mostly focused on personal protection, that people should be evacuated in the event of a fire.

- In Jönköping we have found a good compromise, I think, where we build large beautiful wooden houses, but still it makes them fireproof in a fair and good way, says Samuel Nyström.