Burning issue: How to prevent home fires in UAE

Khaleej Times explores the role of awareness in controlling fire incidents.

Fires in residential buildings and villas have always been a burning issue. Precious lives have been lost due to negligence and human error while property worth millions has turned to ashes.

In a heartbreaking tragedy last week, a noble humanitarian and pioneer for women's causes, Ameera BinKaram, chairperson of Sharjah Business Women Council, died of suffocation after her villa in Sharjah caught fire.
Her mother and a sister also died in the fire, while her brother is still recuperating at a Sharjah hospital. The police said the fire could have been caused due to a short circuit.
Following the tragic deaths, the burning issue of lives lost and property destroyed in fires has come to the fore again.
According to forensic experts and officials from civil defence departments, a lack of awareness and negligence are the main causes of residential fires.
Citing studies, Major-General Thani Al Matroushi, Director-General of Dubai Civil Defence, told Khaleej Times that the main reason behind residential fires is lack of awareness about preventive measures, which could lead to carelessness.
"Other reasons for fires include poorly installed safety infrastructure, especially in older buildings; poorly-maintained electrical networks, damaged electric appliances and wrecked gas pipeline systems," he said.
He said that in most cases fires in houses and villas break out at the ground level. "If there is a lack of ventilation, the smoke sweeps to the upper part and causes suffocation," he said.
He also said smoke is the silent killer in fire accidents as it causes suffocation. "The danger increases manifold if residents are asleep, since the victims do not feel the smoke until they almost choke," he added. "Installation of smoke sensors is among the main preventive measures that one can take. If smoke arises anywhere inside the house, the alarm will alert residents and they can get out of the danger zone before the smoke becomes heavy."
He also warned that the smoke could contain toxic gases and particles which may turn fatal for human beings.
Home safety initiative
Maj-Gen Al Matroushi said the Dubai Civil Defence will soon launch a home safety initiative as part of which smoke sensors will be installed in all rooms. These sensors will be linked to a wireless system so that the alarm will sound immediately in all parts of the house.
"If smoke presence is detected near one sensor anywhere in your home, alarms will ring all over the house to help residents get out of the danger zone before smoke becomes heavy," he explained.
"The civil defence has put up specifications for under-construction buildings that will prevent fire from extending to more than two floors. The building will not be given a clearance certificate until this specification is met and the insulation is installed between two floors," said Maj-Gen Al Matroushi.
In Sharjah, Lt.-Col Sami Al Naqbi, Director-General of Sharjah Civil Defence, agreed that most fire accidents in residential units including apartments are caused by negligence and human errors.
Giving an example, he said most residential fires occurred during summer in Sharjah as many people leave the air-conditioning on for long hours while they are not at home.
He added that sometimes people fail to secure the LPG cylinders, and store them improperly, while others throw burning cigarette butts in balconies or on carpets, and in some cases iron boxes are left on for long hours.
"Most residential units lack smoke detectors and fire alarm systems which are considered vital since they can prevent such accidents. The alarms give tenants the opportunity to save themselves during fire incidents. This equipment has saved lives and reduced losses in many cases," he said.
Awareness campaigns
Lt.-Col Al Naqbi said the department has lunched a number of awareness campaigns to reduce deaths in fires. He also said that fire accidents could cause huge losses since most residential villas, houses and apartments are not covered by insurance.
In Sharjah, the number of residential fires has reduced by more than 30 per cent due to the safety awareness launched by authorities. The civil defence recently launched an awareness campaign titled 'safe neighborhood' to spread awareness among families in residential areas.
The campaign targets housewives and maids and educates them on the dangers of ignoring safety procedures. It also teaches them how to use a fire extinguisher when a fire erupts and how to check its validity.
During the campaign, a number of social activities were also held. The event was attended by 1,180 families, while thousands of awareness pamphlets explaining home fire safety procedures were also distributed.
Lt.-Col Al Naqbi also said that families and residents were asked to carry out periodical maintenance to electricity connections at homes to avoid overload and prevent short circuits. "Villa owners have also been asked to maintain extinguishers," he said.
Emergency response
Brig Saif Al Zeri Al Shamsi, Commander-in-Chief of the Sharjah Police, said when the police receive a call about fire accidents in residential units, patrols and rescue unit are immediately dispatched along with ambulances, followed by fire experts from the forensic department. "The target is to reach the fire site in less than eight minutes," he said.
The patrols will evacuate people from the unit, then cordon off the site and provide logistic support to civil defence. The police will not allow anyone to enter the site as it considered private property. "After the accident, police assign guards to prevent obliterating of evidence and thefts." The forensic team then carries out an investigation to determine the cause of the fire.

Major home fires in 2 years
August 30, 2016: Thirteen people, including 10 firefighters, suffer from mild suffocation in a fire that broke out in two buildings in Abu Dhabi's Zahia area
July 20, 2016: Sulafa Tower in Dubai Marina catches fire, hundreds of people are evacuatedMarch 28, 2016: 300 residents homeless as fire guts two Ajman towers
January 28, 2016: A fire breaks out at Diamond 4 Tower in Dubai Marina. No casualties reported
October 1, 2015: Massive fire guts all 24 residential floors of Al Naser Tower located on King Faisal Road, Sharjah, leaving 250 families homeless
July 22, 2015: Nine people, including children, elderly and women, suffer from suffocation after a massive fire guts Lamya Tower in Al Khan, Sharjah
afkarali@khaleejtimes.com, amira@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE
• Abu Dhabi
• Dubai
• Sharjah