Shanghai, May 18, 2026 – The 2026 International Fire Safety Equipment Expo opened today at the Shanghai New International Expo Center, gathering more than 2,800 enterprises, industry experts and procurement representatives from around the world, including Johnson Controls, Honeywell, Siemens AG, Bosch and Qingniao Fire Protection. As global urbanization accelerates, fire safety regulations become increasingly stringent, and emerging fire scenarios such as high-rise buildings and energy storage facilities continue to emerge, the global fire equipment industry is undergoing a profound transformation, with intelligence, greenization and standardization becoming the core drivers, reshaping the market pattern and development trajectory.
Industry data reflects the sector’s robust growth momentum with structural optimization. According to Global Growth Insights, the global fire safety equipment market was valued at $75.4 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $80.76 billion in 2026, further expanding to $149.86 billion by 2035 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.11% during the 2026-2035 period. China, a key growth engine in the global market, saw its fire equipment market size exceed 1280 billion yuan in 2025, with smart fire equipment accounting for 39%, and is expected to maintain a steady growth rate in 2026. Regionally, North America accounts for 34% of the global market share, followed by the Asia-Pacific region with 29% and Europe with 26%, while the Middle East and Africa, driven by urbanization and stricter fire code enforcement, account for 11% of the global market.
Intelligent innovation has become the core trend reshaping the industry, addressing the challenges of complex fire scenarios and insufficient skilled technicians. Nearly 61% of new equipment installations in 2026 incorporate AI-driven detection and monitoring tools, which significantly improve the efficiency and accuracy of fire early warning. For high-rise and super-high-rise building fire scenarios, enterprises are developing intelligent equipment such as aerial fire-fighting drones, intelligent aerial ladder fire trucks and large-depth mobile smoke exhaust equipment. The latest intelligent aerial ladder fire trucks can achieve a working platform positioning accuracy of ≤100mm and an arm end vibration amplitude of ≤400mm, with a fire source recognition accuracy of over 90%. In addition, IoT-enabled fire monitoring frameworks are widely adopted in public institutions, with 68% of public facilities upgrading to such systems to realize real-time monitoring and remote early warning of fire hazards.
Greenization has become an important development direction, driven by global environmental protection requirements and the demand for eco-friendly fire-fighting solutions. Approximately 54% of new fire equipment products launched in 2026 focus on eco-safe suppression technologies, with 29% of new products obtaining green certification. For lithium battery fire scenarios that are difficult to extinguish and prone to re-ignition, enterprises have developed positive-pressure multi-agent synergistic foam fire-fighting equipment and PFOS-free special fire extinguishing agents, which can extinguish lithium battery open flames within 2 minutes and prevent re-ignition within 120 minutes. Meanwhile, the adoption of wireless monitoring tools has reached 47%, reducing the environmental impact caused by wiring construction and improving the flexibility of equipment deployment.
Standardization and industrial integration are accelerating the洗牌 of the industry. The implementation of new national standards for fire alarm and evacuation in China since May 2025 has forced small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with insufficient technology and funds to withdraw from the market, while leading enterprises have further expanded their market share through technological advantages and standardized production. The global market is showing a trend of concentration, with top players such as Johnson Controls, Honeywell and Siemens AG maintaining advantages in the high-end market, while Chinese enterprises like Qingniao Fire Protection are rapidly rising in the mid-to-high-end market. In China, the market pattern of "one leader and multiple strong players" has been formed, with the top five enterprises accounting for an increasing proportion of the market.
Emerging application scenarios are becoming new growth engines for the industry. With the rapid development of energy storage and data center industries, the demand for professional fire equipment is surging. In 2025, the shipment volume of fire equipment for data centers in China exceeded 170 million yuan, and the shipment volume for energy storage facilities exceeded 160 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of nearly 100%. For solid-state battery fire scenarios, enterprises are conducting in-depth research on fire hazard characteristics and emergency disposal technologies, developing bionic test dummies and fire suppression solutions to meet the safety needs of new energy development. In addition, the modernization of aging infrastructure in North America and the expansion of medical and health facilities are also driving the demand for low-impact, high-sensitivity fire protection tools.
Despite the positive growth momentum, the industry still faces multiple challenges. According to industry surveys, 63% of enterprises report supply chain delays, 44% cite rising component costs, and 51% face shortages of skilled technicians. In China, the sluggish real estate market has led to a 10.77% year-on-year decline in the civil and commercial fire business in 2025, putting pressure on the short-term growth of the industry. In addition, the high accounts receivable ratio has become a common problem in the industry, with the average accounts receivable turnover days exceeding 90 days, which has brought cash flow pressure to enterprises. For overseas expansion, domestic enterprises face difficulties such as differences in international fire standards and fierce competition from international giants, with the overseas business share of Chinese fire equipment enterprises still less than 10%.
Policy supervision plays a crucial role in promoting the high-quality development of the industry. Governments around the world are continuously strengthening fire safety regulations, with the U.S. promoting infrastructure modernization and fire prevention programs, and China increasing investment in fire rescue technology research and development, providing funding support for key research projects such as super-high-rise building fire-fighting equipment and lithium battery fire emergency disposal technologies. These policies not only drive market demand but also urge enterprises to accelerate technological innovation and product upgrading to meet stricter safety standards.
Industry experts point out that 2026 is a critical year for the global fire equipment industry to achieve structural optimization. The industry will continue to be driven by intelligence, greenization and standardization, with products further integrating with AI, IoT and digital twin technologies to adapt to the changing fire safety needs. Enterprises that focus on R&D investment, comply with international standards and optimize supply chain layout will gain a competitive edge. With the 2026 International Fire Safety Equipment Expo showcasing the latest technologies and products, the industry is poised to enter a new phase of high-quality development, contributing to the improvement of global fire safety levels.