Certifications are much more than just a piece of paperwork. For operators, planners, and insurers, they represent a key safety assurance. They stand for:
- Proven quality and reliability
- Compliance with standards and legal certainty
- Trust
- Insurability of buildings and systems
Insurance companies in particular are increasingly requiring the use of certified products and systems. Certification marks such as FM Approved or VdS serve as an objective basis for decision-making and provide assurance in planning, operation, and loss prevention.
FM Approved is a certification mark issued by FM Approvals, which is closely associated with the global industrial insurer FM (formerly FM Global).
If a product is FM Approved, this means that it is recognized worldwide and carries significant weight, particularly among globally active, often U.S.-based companies and insurers.
VdS certifications are primarily established in Europe and are based on EN standards. They are considered one of the leading certifications for fire protection technology in Europe. The VdS certification body works very closely with insurance companies, government agencies, and installers, and takes typical European use cases into account.
Both the FM Approved seal of approval and the VdS certification mark have high standards for independent and objective testing. The difference therefore lies not in their quality standards, but in their market focus, international standing, and testing priorities.
Both testing bodies place high demands on sensor technology, control systems, and system reliability.
The FM Approved certification focuses on loss prevention from the perspective of a global industrial insurer. Accordingly, individual system components – such as the nitrogen generator used for oxygen reduction – are subjected to particularly rigorous testing. This includes extensive endurance testing under demanding conditions. For FM Approvals, it is crucial that every component in the system functions reliably over the long term and at all times.
VdS certification takes a more practice- and standards-oriented approach based on European EN standards. The focus here is on the system’s functionality and the collective experience with oxygen reduction systems in the field. Individual safety-critical components are tested to ensure the system’s operational safety.
In short, both approaches share the same goal: reliable fire protection. However, they have different priorities, which stem from their respective market environments and experiences.
