Fire protection for road tunnels
This year’s conference will address the entire life cycle of road tunnels – from planning and design through construction to safe operation and maintenance. The programme will cover topics including operational resilience, evacuation and human behaviour, ventilation, tunnel equipment, digitalisation and safety challenges associated with new energy carriers. The event will also provide an important platform for sharing experience and best practices from projects delivered in Poland and around the world.
Tunnel safety requires an integrated approach
Road tunnels are among the most demanding environments from a fire protection perspective. Confined spaces, the potential for a rapid rise in temperature, smoke development, challenging evacuation conditions and the need to maintain the operation of critical infrastructure mean that tunnel safety cannot rely on a single solution.
At the conference, mcr S.A. will therefore present its integrated approach to tunnel fire protection, bringing together the expertise of different companies and specialist areas within the mcr Group.
Our portfolio includes passive fire protection for tunnel structures exposed to high temperatures, protection of cable routes and critical services, smoke extraction and ventilation systems, fire protection of movement joints and service penetrations, fire compartmentation and escape doors, as well as active fire suppression systems based on FOGTEC® high-pressure water mist technology.
The common objective of these technologies is not only to control fire development, but also to protect the tunnel structure and infrastructure, maintain the functionality of critical services and create conditions that support safe evacuation and emergency response.
From passive structural fire protection to active fire suppression
During the event, we will present mcr solutions covering different levels of tunnel fire protection, including mcr Isoverm 825, mcr Tecbor, mcr Silboard, Tecsel®, mcr Polylack Elastic and Tecbor Joint Paste, as well as DFM fire compartmentation solutions.
An important part of our tunnel infrastructure portfolio is FOGTEC® high-pressure water mist technology. High-pressure water mist provides active control of a developing fire while requiring significantly less water than conventional sprinkler and deluge systems. This is important not only for the fire suppression process itself, but also for the tunnel’s technical infrastructure, including the required capacity of fire-water storage tanks, pipe diameters and drainage-system requirements.
Cracow – an international platform for sharing expertise
On the first day of the conference, at 9:55 a.m., Victor Rodriguez, representing our Spanish company mcr Tecresa, will give a presentation entitled “Fire Protection of Critical Infrastructure – Requirements for Tunnel Structures”.
The PIARC conference will take place in Kraków and bring together tunnel infrastructure specialists from many countries. The organisers emphasise the international nature of the event, with experience and lessons learned being shared from both international and Polish projects. The first two editions of the conference were held in Lyon in 2018 and Granada in 2022.
The third day of the event will be dedicated to technical visits. Participants will have the opportunity to visit the existing tunnels of the Łagiewnicka Route in Kraków or the S19 Via Carpatia expressway tunnel currently under construction near Rzeszów.
We invite you to meet the mcr S.A. team during the 3rd PIARC International Conference on Road Tunnel Operations and Safety. Let’s talk about how tunnel fire protection can be designed as one integrated system – from structural fire protection and critical services to active fire suppression, evacuation and safety systems integration.
30 September–2 October 2026 | Cracow, Poland
3rd PIARC International Conference on Road Tunnel Operations and Safety
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mcr – Technologies for a Safe Tomorrow
For over 37 years, we have been building trust and providing solutions that support our clients in achieving their goals. Today, we are proud to present our new brand – mcr, which responds to the dynamically changing market and the development of technologies that shape the future of the industry.
