<p>Hi Parents, is there a study abroad forum? I can’t find one, so I thought I’d post here to see if there is anybody experienced with fire safety in Spain.</p>
<p>Son just rented a flat in Valencia with 3 spanish students ( he is studying at the universitat politecnica valencia). He is on the 13th floor of a very large apartment complex. I asked him if there are smoke detectors, and he of course doesn’t know yet, but is assuming not “based on how lax things tend to be here…” </p>
<p>I can’t find anything on the internet regarding safety requirements in Spain, particularly a large building in a large urban city. </p>
<p>Does anyone know, or have any experience with, the fire safety regulations? </p>
<p>Having lived in Spain for several years, I’d say your concerns are legitimate. Safety is way, way down on the list of priorities for the average Spaniard. I shook my head on a daily basis over things I saw people doing there.</p>
<p>Wapo recently had an article on Valencia that I read because I also studied in Valencia when in college almost 40 years ago. The advanced modern architecture was really amazing. It may be more advanced than you think. You might want to look up the article.</p>
<p>Of all the bad things that can happen to a 20 (or so) year-old out in the big, bad world, dying in a fire in an apartment building in Spain with no smoke detectors that he could have survived had there been smoke detectors is way, way, way down the list.</p>
<p>You also may want to check with his US school, if there is one. I was able to learn there were no smoke detectors that way - and also by asking my son.</p>
<p>d101-
Click on “Discussion Home”, top of column of areas of interest on the left hand side of this page. Once on “Discussion Home” scroll down toward the bottom and you will find the “Study Abroad” threads.</p>
<p>SEND HIM SOME SMOKE DETECTORS AND BATTERIES OR HAVE HIM PURCHASE SOME LOCALLY!!</p>
<p>It basically says, if I’m not mistaken, that viviendas must have smoke detectors if the evacuation height is >50m, and buildings that are *residencial público<a href=“which%20to%20me%20sounds%20like%20hotels,%20hostels,%20etc.”>/i</a> must have smoke detectors if the constructed floor area exceeds 500 sq m. An apartment building is probably classified as a vivienda.</p>
<p>You can have detectors – but do they work? Given the cheap, cheap cost of a battery powered smoke detector, I’d have him get one and use it. He should also make sure that the stairways are unlocked all the way to the exit, and not blocked by furniture/supplies. (And that’s not a problem just in Spain. Similar issues in NY, Chicago, and LA, sadly.)</p>
<p>What is the primarily construction material of his building? If it is not combustible, the chances of fire are significantly lower, because while the contents might go up in smoke, the building itself won’t.</p>
<p>My son did an exchange in Alicante last summer, just south of Valencia. He gave me the “probably not” answer, too. I’m pretty sure there is a young woman on exchange there right now. She’s been posting on [Welcome</a> to Cultures Shocked!](<a href=“http://www.cultures-shocked.org%5DWelcome”>http://www.cultures-shocked.org). She could fill you in on lots of things. Smoke dectectors are cheap and easy to install. We should remind all our students to check their smoke detectors.</p>
<p>“It basically says, if I’m not mistaken, that viviendas must have smoke detectors if the evacuation height is >50m, and buildings that are residencial público (which to me sounds like hotels, hostels, etc.) must have smoke detectors if the constructed floor area exceeds 500 sq m. An apartment building is probably classified as a vivienda.”</p>
<p>In the U.S., we tend to take such safety regulations pretty seriously, as we have an abundance of lawyers who will fry you if there is the slightest disregard for the letter of the law. This simply isn’t the case in most other countries, especially Spain. [The Italian sea captain in the news lately is a good example of safety in that part of the world, too.]</p>
<p>My wife is from Spain. I asked her if her mother’s apartment (on 5th floor of a nice, fairly modern building) has smoke alarms. No, and nobody seems to worry about it.</p>