The 12th GreCon Fire Protection Symposium brings fire protection experts together
Two days filled with exciting lectures and networking: The GreCon fire protection symposium is back from its break caused by the pandemic. Experts from industry, science, research and the insurance industry presented the latest findings on trends and developments in fire and explosion protection in the NHOW Hotel in Berlin.
The varied program with fourteen lectures included a wide range of typical fire and explosion protection topics for the numerous participants. But the view beyond the horizon was also ensured with presentations that dealt, for example, with occupational safety and today's working world.
In his opening keynote, Uwe Kahmann, Managing Director at Fagus-GreCon Greten GmbH & Co. KG, addressed the challenges and megatrends that are currently having a particular impact on fire protection. Mathias Fischer, sales director in the business unit fire protection at Fagus-GreCon, moderated the event.
"We are happy to be able to bring the fire protection scene together again after the many unusual events in recent years," emphasizes Mario Haas, Head of the Business Unit Fire Protection. "The wide range of topics of the symposium offered all participants the opportunity to take up current trends and set the right impetus for the technical discussions."
One of the megatrends discussed is “cybersecurity”. Fire protection solutions connected via IP connection and the establishment of shared services, remote monitoring and virtualization expose these solutions to new risks. It is no longer possible to seal off the systems that were once less networked. New guidelines and independent quality statements with corresponding seals help here to give manufacturers orientation and to bring operators comparability and guarantee security.
Due to recent events, Dr.-Ing. Johannes Lottermann changed his lecture topic and took the participants on a journey into the practice of firefighting in potentially explosive areas. Its numerous examples of dust explosions and incorrect extinguishing tactics with fatal consequences met with great interest. In his conclusion, Lottermann made it clear how important it is to consult experts and to make preparations so that no explosion can occur.
In addition to the technical topics of fire and explosion protection, enthusiastic presentations showed new perspectives. Hon.-Prof. Dr. Lars Vollmer put forward the provocative thesis that too less work was being done. In most companies, employees spend half their time doing what looks like work but isn't work and therefore doesn't create value. "We need more work and less employment again!"
The GreCon fire protection symposium usually takes place every four years. This event also had to be postponed several times due to the pandemic in order to maintain the familiar and established format with a mixture of networking, technical discussions and lectures. "Virtualization of this format was not an option for us," says Uwe Kahmann, Managing Director at Fagus-GreCon. The positive feedback from the participants makes it clear: the personal professional exchange at such an event cannot be virtualized."