No relaxation Fire protection 2026 put on ice - cantons pull emergency brake
Four days after the fire disaster in Crans-Montana, the cantons are taking action. The planned total revision of Switzerland's fire safety regulations has been put on hold for the time being.
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- The cantons have temporarily halted the "Fire safety regulations 2026" project.
- The background to this is the fire disaster in Crans-Montana and the political pressure that followed.
- Despite high standards, the number of fire fatalities in Switzerland has recently risen significantly.
Following the fire disaster in Crans-Montana, the cantons are reacting to the growing political pressure. The cantonal building directors have decided to temporarily halt the "Fire Protection Regulations 2026" (BSV 2026) project. The "Neue Zürcher Zeitung" reports.
"We are putting BSV 2026 on hold," says Rolf Meier, Head of Communications at the Association of Cantonal Building Insurers (VKG), when asked by the NZZ. It remains to be seen what will happen next. A new timetable is currently being drawn up.
The suspension comes just a few days after the devastating fire in Crans-Montana. The planned revision had recently attracted increasing criticism because, among other things, it provided for more personal responsibility, more flexible requirements for escape routes and, in certain cases, private expert opinions instead of state inspections. Supporters emphasized that it was a risk-based modernization - critics warned of a creeping reduction in supervision.
More fatal fires over the New Year
It is now clear that the project is no longer politically feasible in the current situation. It remains to be seen when and in what form work will be resumed.
Rolf Meier emphasizes to the NZZ that Switzerland generally has one of the highest levels of fire safety in the world. Nevertheless, the figures show a different trend: while 17 people died in fires in both 2020 and 2021, the number of fatalities rose to 33 by 2024. The statistics for 2025 are not yet available.
In addition to Crans-Montana, there were other fatal fires around the turn of the year alone. Between December 28 and January 2, three more people died in residential fires in Switzerland - including in Gossau (SG) and in Horw and Kriens in the Lucerne conurbation.
It is currently unclear whether the fire safety regulations will be fundamentally revised, adapted in certain areas or partially revised. One thing is certain: After the disaster in Crans-Montana, the reform is no longer just a technical issue - but a highly sensitive political issue.
