Abu Dhabi: Residents, especially those in highrise buildings, must never ignore fire alarms as the danger becomes more significant when emergencies occur in higher floors, officials in the capital said on Monday.
On upper levels, the risk associated with being trapped during a fire emergency is greater and so highly sensitive smoke detectors are installed in those locations.
“A unique system that monitors our fire monitors is the first of its kind globally. This has been implemented in Dubai for the past six years but it has become mandatory under federal law as of last year. The device detects any malfunctions in smoke detectors, water pumps and sprinklers and notifies the Civil Defence, building owners and maintenance companies of such errors,” Maj Gen Rashid Thani Al Matroushi, Acting Director General of the UAE Civil Defence, said.
Maj Gen Al Matroushi was speaking on the sidelines of the fifth annual Fire Safety Technology Forum UAE that took place today on Monday.
The official explained how sensitive detectors had helped in a successful evacuation and minimising human losses during an incident that occurred late last month.
“What happened in Dubai Torch could have led to many deaths had it not been for this system. Since the fire broke out in one of the balconies on the 52nd floor, it was impossible to sense it using smoke detectors inside the rooms. However, once the fire got halfway through the closest hall, the sprinklers went off. This allowed the fire to only go up several floors on the outside of the building and not take over from the inside,” he told Gulf News.
Maj Gen Al Matroushi revealed that this is the reason some residents of the tower reported hearing the fire alarm go off after the fire had started.
“This is why they should never ignore the fire alarm. I have instructed Civil Defence branches to conduct drills in their corresponding areas to spot any vulnerabilities they might face. High-ranking officials from other countries told me they were afraid just watching the incident being reported on the news but I told them I was sleeping at the time. These procedures reduce 90 per cent from our workload,” he added.
As an additional precaution, some buildings that have over 30 floors are required to have a service room where water pumps and other firefighting equipment can be placed in order to facilitate the extinguishing process.
With reference to the fire that broke out in a number of tyre stores in Musaffah, Maj Gen Al Matroushi said that a number of violations on the owner’s behalf were the cause of the high death toll.
“The building had all kinds of violations — a warehouse being used as a residence, lack of emergency exits and safety equipment. Otherwise, even old buildings are required to upgrade their systems in order to receive the approval from the Civil Defence, and for these structures, which are often lowrises, the risk is usually less and so traditional firefighting methods are sufficient,” he said.
