Fire safety violators to be shamed

Sharjah civil defence to step up inspections in residential buildings starting from Sunday

B uilding-owners in Sharjah who do not install, or regularly maintain smoke detectors and sprinkler systems in multi-storey towers will be named and shamed, Sharjah Civil Defence said.

In a new campaign beginning this Sunday, Sharjah Civil Defence is stepping up inspections of commercial and residential towers to ensure fire safety systems are in place to prevent life-threatening blazes.

The campaign comes after five people, including a mother and her two children, died of suffocation after a fire broke out on February 12 in an apartment building in Al Buteenah.

The victims included a Moroccan woman, 41, and her two children, aged four and six, an Indian man, 32, and a Pakistani woman. A Sudanese woman injured in the fire died yesterday

Inspections in shifts

Colonel Sami Khamis Al Naqbi, director-general of Sharjah Civil Defence, told Gulf

News that the campaign will see inspectors working round the clock in shifts.

“All Civil Defence staff including the director-general will be in the field checking on the fire safety systems in the towers,” he said, noting that Civil Defence “will not tolerate those who put people’s lives in danger”.

Col Al Naqbi said that towers which fail in fire safety inspections will be identified and the Civil Defence officials will stick a certified sticker in Arabic and English on the towers stating that it is a ‘non-safe tower’ to inform residents that their tower may not be safe and that they should consider relocating to new premises.

If residents choose to stay in the building that has failed inspections, they would do so at their own risk, Col Al Naqbi said. The crackdown is meant to spur developers, tower owners and property managers to get their towers in order, he said.

Hefty penalties

Col Al Naqbi said owners of buildings which lack safety measures and fire protection equipment may also be referred to the public prosecution, if needed. “The violating companies will face hefty penalties,” Col Al Naqbi said. The new tougher measures are being adopted as some owners have repeatedly ignored warnings from Civil Defence to ensure that their residential buildings comply with the fire safety codes, he said.

Walkthrough tours

The new inspections in all towers will be exhaustive and leave no stone unturned, Col Al Naqbi pledged.

Walkthrough tours by inspectors will examine the fire alarm systems, smoke detectors and seek written confirmation that maintenance companies are carrying out regular maintenance services to ensure all fire safety equipment is up to date and fully operational.

Civil Defence inspectors will also ensure buildings meet all requirements for emergency exits, storage, ventilation, and fire equipment such as extinguishers and water hoses.

All Civil Defence staff, including the directorgeneral, will be in the field checking on the fire safety systems in the towers. [The Civil Defence] will not tolerate those who put people’s lives in danger.” Colonel Sami Khamis Al Naqbi | Director-general of Sharjah Civil Defence