BFireSafe@School is an Erasmus+ funded, teacher-led fire safety education programme for post-primary schools in Europe. It is designed for students aged 12–18 and aims to build the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to prevent fires and respond safely if a fire occurs.
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BfireSafe@School
General Information
ISIG
The solution is presented as a harmonised fire safety curriculum for post-primary education, delivered through multiple formats (classroom lesson materials and an online learning environment via a Learning Management System). It is organised into a structured set of modules that cover: understanding fire, fire safety in everyday environments (home and school), what to do in an emergency (including calling emergency services and following action plans), and broader awareness topics including fire-related roles and careers.
Fire safety education in many European contexts has traditionally focused more on younger children, while post-primary students receive less consistent, structured provision. BFireSafe@School was created to address this gap through a shared European programme that can be implemented by schools and supported by fire services, enabling more consistent prevention messaging and safer behaviours among adolescents.
The project was created to respond to a documented inconsistency in post-primary fire safety provision across European contexts and the need for a common, school-usable approach that can be adapted and translated across countries. Its cross-country consortium structure reflects that the challenge is not local to one system but shared across education and public safety governance in multiple European settings.
Hazard Type
Geographical Scope - Nuts
Population Size
Population Density
Needs Addressed
Fire safety education in Europe is often uneven and tends to focus more on primary ages, leaving a gap in structured, age-appropriate learning for post-primary students (12–18). BFireSafe@School addresses this by providing a harmonised, teacher-led programme that schools can implement consistently, combining classroom delivery with digital learning and assessment tools. The solution aims to strengthen young people’s practical knowledge and safer behaviours (for themselves and others) in everyday settings where fire risk may arise.
The solution targets a specific age cohort rather than a vulnerability category.
The solution is developed and disseminated through collaboration between fire services and education partners and implemented via schools/teachers.
This is a prevention/preparedness education programme rather than an operational response system.
BFireSafe@School is designed to run in standard school conditions. It requires basic school delivery capacity (teachers, classroom time) and access to digital devices/internet for the e-learning/LMS components. It does not require specialist emergency infrastructure.
To embed fire safety as a practical, age-appropriate capability for adolescents through school delivery, improving prevention behaviours and readiness to respond safely, and supporting consistent adoption across different national education contexts.
Teacher-led classroom delivery supported by structured modules and digital learning components (e-learning and a learning management system) to reinforce learning and enable basic assessment of progress, alongside dissemination activities through partners and project channels.
Decision-making sits primarily with the project consortium and school/education implementers: the curriculum structure and tools are pre-designed, while schools/teachers can decide how to integrate the programme into subjects and how to deliver it locally. Students are the learning audience rather than decision-makers; their influence is mainly through participation and learning outcomes.
The solution builds long-term capacity by equipping teachers and students with a repeatable programme that can be delivered year-to-year. Digital delivery through the LMS supports continuity and basic measurability of learning progress. Multi-language availability and partner-country adaptation increase long-term scalability and sustained use across different school systems.
Vulnerable Groups
Governance
Emergency Preparedness
Infrastructure Readiness
Engagement Level
Empowerment Level
Implementation
BFireSafe@School combines a teacher-led curriculum with digital learning to make fire safety education usable, scalable, and consistent across different European school settings. The programme is modular (10 units) and can be embedded into existing school subjects. It also includes technology-enabled learning elements (e-learning/LMS, and an AR component referenced in the brochure), supporting engagement and reinforcement beyond classroom delivery.
BFireSafe@School materials are currently available in 10 languages:
- English
- Irish
- Basque
- Danish
- Dutch
- Finnish
- French
- German
- Lithuanian
- Spanish
The solution is delivered as an Erasmus+ project output, led by a fire service / local authority partner (lead partner referenced publicly) and implemented through schools (teachers) with support from consortium partners.
The lead implementing partner, Leitrim County Council / Leitrim County Fire Service, has strong operational experience in disaster risk management and public safety education. The project coordinator, Finian Joyce (Chief Fire Officer), is presented as having substantial experience coordinating and participating in multiple EU-funded emergency management/safety-related projects. This indicates the programme was developed by an organization with practical emergency management expertise and demonstrated capacity to design, coordinate, and deliver DRRM-related projects across multi-stakeholder and cross-border contexts.
- Project lead partner and consortium partners (fire services + education development partners across multiple EU countries)
- Schools (post-primary) and teachers (primary implementers)
- Students aged 12–18 (target group)
- Fire service personnel/fire officers (optional supporting role in delivery, depending on local arrangements)
- Digital platform / LMS administrators (where used)
- Access the programme materials (teacher resources + digital components) and identify where it fits in the school timetable/curriculum.
- Prepare delivery: select the relevant units, align to subjects (e.g., wellbeing/science/civic-type subjects), and decide whether to involve local fire service support.
- Deliver the modules in class (teacher-led) and reinforce learning with the e-learning/LMS content (tests/activities if used).
- Use the LMS (where applicable) to track learner progress and support repeat delivery across classes/years.
- Localise and adapt (language/context) for national use if deploying outside the original pilot context.
- Disseminate through school channels and partner networks to expand uptake (typical for EU education safety programmes).
- Staff time: teacher preparation and delivery time; school leadership support to schedule/approve
- Digital access: devices and internet access if using LMS/e-learning components
- Supporting partners: optional collaboration with local fire services/experts
- No specialist equipment required beyond normal school teaching infrastructure
- Project development phase: materials and tools developed during the Erasmus+ project period (the website outputs page shows development work packages and dates).
- Pilot/testing phase: the programme was pilot tested in schools before broader roll-out.
- Operational phase: once adopted, the programme can be delivered annually or integrated into recurring wellbeing/safety learning cycles.
Experience of the Implementing Organisation in DRM
Target Audience
Resources Required
Timeframe & Phases
Participation Results
- Make learning measurable to support credibility and adoption. The LMS approach is built to track progress and results, which helps teachers and partners understand whether learning is taking place.
- Keep the programme adaptable to school realities. A modular structure and curriculum-fit approach reduces friction for schools and supports repeated use over time.
- Build a feedback loop early. Participation in pilots and the request for user feedback indicate a “learn-and-improve” implementation approach rather than a fixed one-off package.
Because the programme is meant for use across multiple European school systems, a key implementation challenge is variability in curricula, language needs, and how fire services interact with schools. BFireSafe@School addresses this by using a modular structure (schools can integrate units into existing subjects) and by making the programme available in multiple languages. The delivery model is also flexible: it is teacher-led but can be supported by fire officers, which helps adapt implementation to local governance and capacity.
This solution is hazard-specific (fire) and focuses on prevention and safe response behaviours. The primary risks relate to uneven uptake and inconsistent delivery (e.g., time constraints in schools, variable digital access, differing national priorities). Mitigation is built into the design: modular units, multi-language availability, and digital components (LMS/e-learning) to support consistent delivery and reinforcement.
Risk & Mitigation Plan
Scalability and Sustainability
BFireSafe@School was developed through external project funding (Erasmus+), and the sustainability pathway appears to rely on continued use by schools and fire/community safety stakeholders using the completed outputs (teaching materials + LMS/e-learning tools). Long-term sustainability depends on (1) keeping materials discoverable and accessible, (2) maintaining/hosting the digital components, and (3) periodic updates to keep the content aligned with evolving safety guidance and education needs. Public information does not clearly specify who funds or governs ongoing maintenance post-project.
The solution is highly scalable because it is designed as a reusable school programme, supported by digital delivery and a multilingual approach. It is adaptable because:
- schools can integrate it into different subjects and timetables,
- partners can localise delivery according to national education and public safety arrangements,
- the “teacher-led + optional fire officer support” model fits a variety of governance contexts.
Technology plays a meaningful support role: the programme includes a Learning Management System intended to make results measurable and provide easy access to materials, plus e-learning content (and an AR component referenced in the brochure). This is technology-enabled education rather than an “advanced smart” operational DRRM system.
No data was available regarding direct costs for programme development in the reviewed material. From the analysis, it can be inferred that for adopters, direct costs are primarily staff time (teacher preparation and delivery) and any basic classroom/digital access required to use the LMS/e-learning components.
Operational costs are likely linked to hosting/maintaining the LMS and digital content, dissemination/updates, and coordination if partners continue supporting roll-out. However, no figures were available that quantify these operational costs.
- Multilingual delivery is a scaling accelerator.
Making the programme available in multiple languages reduces barriers to adoption across countries and increases the likelihood of sustained use beyond the original pilot context. - Modular curriculum design makes adaptation realistic.
A module-based programme can be integrated into different national curricula and school timetables, which supports both initial uptake and long-term repeat delivery. - Digital platforms improve consistency but create a maintenance dependency.
An LMS/e-learning approach supports repeatability, accessibility, and basic measurability of learning. However, sustainability depends on who maintains hosting, content updates, and user support after project funding ends. Public sources do not clearly specify a long-term maintenance owner or budget, so continued operational sustainability may depend on partner institutions continuing to host and refresh the platform. - Teacher-led implementation improves sustainability when fire services are capacity-limited.
A model that can be delivered primarily by teachers (with optional support from fire officers) reduces reliance on external personnel and increases the chance the programme becomes embedded in routine school delivery.