Increasingly stringent environmental standards are being placed on today’s buses in terms of noise and emissions. This means that engine spaces are increasingly enclosed and the installed equipment such as silencers and particulate filters have worse cooling, increasing the risk of fire.
The guidelines stipulate that buses and coaches with a total weight of 10 tons or above, delivered after January 1 of 2004 be equipped with a fire suppression system in the engine compartment. This is a prerequisite for taking out fire insurance.
Guidelines SBF 128 regulate the design and technical specifications of the systems and further states the requirements of the companies that supply and install them.
Contents
Introduction
References
Definitions
Fire suppression system requirements
Care and maintenance
Buses with EC approval including extinguishing systems according to UN ECE R107-6 do not have to comply with SBF 128.
The subscription price is per year and user.
SBF 128 Regulations for fixed automatic extinguishing systems on buses will cease to apply from 2028-01-01
SBF 128:3 Regulations for fixed automatic extinguishing systems on buses
published December 2016 and came into effect on 2017-01-01 with a transition period of one year. The purpose of the regulations is to reduce the risk of fire and provide the opportunity to extinguish any fires that may occur.
The UN's general regulations UN ECE R 107 for buses were adopted by the
EU in 2005[1]. In 2016[2] the regulations were updated according to R 107-6 with requirements for extinguishing systems in the engine compartmenton buses. Since 2019, the regulations have required engine compartment sprinklers for Coach Class III (long-distance buses). For buses in Intercity Class II and City Class I, the requirement was introduced from 1 September 2021 and thus requires that all newly registered buses meet the requirements of UN ECE R107-6. As a consequence, the Swedish Fire Protection Association, in consultation with industry players, has decided to discontinue the SBF 128 regulations as of 1 January 2028.
During the period until the regulations cease to exist, the regulations will not be revised.
The transition period gives those who submit requirements reasonable time to adjust. The Swedish Fire Protection Association hopes that the cessation of the regulations will not cause any concerns for those affected.
Questions regarding the SBF 128 regulations should be directed to the Swedish Fire Protection Association, sbf@brandskyddsforeningen.se.
[1] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2005:0632:FIN:EN:PDF
[2] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:42018X0237
