Fire service
The fire service is part of the 'Service d'Incendie et d'Aide Médicale Urgente' (Fire and emergency medical care service or SIAMU) of the Brussels-Capital Region. There are nine fire stations and almost a thousand professionals throughout the Region.
As well as preventing and fighting fires, SIAMUExternal link also provides emergency medical care services in Brussels via its centralised 100 number (and the single 112 emergency number for the 27 countries of the European Union).
When to call 100 or 112?
- Fire: you can call 100 or 112 (the single emergency number for the 27 countries of the European Union) in the event of a fire or a potential fire. You can also call for prevention assistance (checking installations, conformity, suspected gas leaks).
- Urgent medical assistance: you can also call 100 or 112 to report an accident indoors or outdoors. SIAMU takes care of getting victims to the nearest hospital for treatment. They will answer calls at home or on the road network.
Call the emergency services in good time
You should call 100 or 112 immediately at the first sign of fire or smoke, in the event of a gas leak, flood, an emergency requiring hospitalisation or any other threat.
Your call will be taken by the SIAMU switchboard, which is competent to handle all non-police-related emergencies. When you call, try to stay calm and state as clearly as you can the location, providing a full address, nature and scale of the accident (i.e. the number of people affected). SIAMU will be able to send out trained medical staff with appropriate equipment within a short space of time.
For police-related emergencies, call Police-Secours on 101.
Help prevent fires by installing smoke detectors in your home
The installation of smoke detectors has been compulsory in all forms of housing in the Brussels-Capital Region since July 2005. Detecting smoke at an early stage significantly reduces the number of victims in a fire.
Smoke detectors are available from all large DIY stores. Optical detectors are recommended, as they are much better at detecting smouldering fires and smoke forming.
Your smoke detector must be certified by BOSEC (Belgian Organisation for SEcurity Certification) and equipped with at least a five-year lithium battery. You can also plug the detector into a socket, in which case a simple backup battery suffices.
Clear the way for the fire-fighters!
You can help fire-fighters do their job in the best possible conditions. A few recommendations:
- If you’re in a car, pull over to the side of the road when you hear the sirens approaching
- Give right of way to fire engines and ambulances, even if you technically have right of way
- Don’t park where you shouldn’t
- Don’t double park if there is a chance that you will block a narrow street
- Don’t block access to fire hydrants, emergency exits, bike paths, pavements, pedestrian streets and so on
- And whether you are on foot or in a car, don’t hang around disaster sites. You may hamper the efforts of fire-fighters and other emergency workers.
More information
For detailed information on the structure and activities of SIAMU, as well as lots of useful advice, see the SIAMU section of this website, which is also a rich source of information on prevention.
