Safe housing for all

Today, a collaborative project was launched to map the number of individuals living in
Commercial premises in the capital region. Capital Region Fire and Rescue Service has been tasked with leading the project in close cooperation with the Housing and Building Authority (HMS), the Icelandic Federation of Labour and the municipalities of the capital region. The mapping is expected to take around three months. This involves a team of inspectors visiting commercial premises in the capital region and speaking with individuals residing there about the state of fire safety measures and their social circumstances. The information will be anonymised.

The project is a proposal for improvements to fire safety in residential accommodation.  

Following the fire on Bræðraborgarstíg last year, in which three people died, the Housing and Building Inspectorate (HMS) was, at the request of the Minister for Social Affairs and Children's Affairs, tasked with developing proposals for improvements to fire safety in residential properties. To this end, HMS established a consultation forum which put forward thirteen recommendations for improvement, including mapping how many individuals live in commercial premises, as well as collecting information on the state of fire safety and the social circumstances of residents, which is now being implemented. It was decided to begin this work in the capital region and develop a methodology that will be useful in other parts of the country. Mayor Dagur B. Eggertsson and
Chairman of SHS, Halla Gunnarsdóttir, Managing Director of ASÍ, and Anna Guðmunda
Ingvarsdóttir, Deputy Director of HMS, presented the project at a press conference this morning.  

„In this phase, the aim is to get to grips with the scope and the number of individuals who
lives in commercial premises. Following that work, it will then be considered what improvements are needed.
to undertake measures to create safer housing conditions for residents. The mapping creates
a basis for the government to undertake necessary improvements and prevent
a horrific event such as the one that took place on Bræðraborgarstíg“ says Jón Viðar
Matthíasson, Chief of the Capital Region Fire and Rescue Service. 

The Web www.homesafety.is has been launched as part of promotional material for this
project and information can be accessed there in six languages.