ISTSS 2016 Gearing Up for Montreal

Safety and security have been high on the scientific agenda for decades, no more so than after the tragic attacks of 9/11 in New York. The success of the International Symposium on Tunnel Safety and Security (ISTSS) is a tribute to the pressing need for continued international research and dialogue on these issues, perhaps in particular connected to complex infrastructure such as tunnels and tunnel networks. SP Fire Research is proud to have been able to establish a regular ISTSS tunnel symposium that normally attracts over 200 delegates from all parts of the world.

This year the ISTSS is being held in Montreal, Quebec, March 16-18. Details are available on the symposium website.

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The focus has mainly been on fires and safety in tunnels, but it is shifting more and more towards security. The new terrorist threats and focus on how to solve these problems is increasing. The need for expertise in this area for underground infrastructure in general is continuously increasing. Symposium organizers urge scientists and practicing engineers in this field make ISTSS a forum for exchanging information.

The following symposia have been arranged or are planned within the series of ISTSS:

• The 1st ISTSS symposium was held in Greenbelt, USA
• The 2nd ISTSS was organised in Madrid 2006
• The 3rd ISTSS symposium was organised in Stockholm 2008
• The 4th ISTSS was held in Frankfurt am Main in March 2010
• The 5th ISTSS symposium was held in New York in March 2012
• The 6th ISTSS symposium was held in Marseille in France in March 2014
• The 7th ISTSS symposium will be held in Montréal Canada in March 2016