Oxygen connection among new fire safety measures in Dubai
1,950 Dirhams is the price of smart system suggested as fire safety measure
Dubai — A civil defence panel, which was formed in the wake of skyscrapers catching fire, has presented its fire safety measures for buildings in the emirate.
The major recommendations include a smart alarm system and oxygen connection for every building.
Major-General Rashid Thani Al Matroushi, Director of the Dubai Civil Defence, said that the standard committee, formed three months ago, will issue new recommendation to make changes in specifications of the new buildings in Dubai.
The panel has suggested a comprehensive solution to prevent spread of fire from the material used for cladding to putting out fire in line with international standards.
The recommendations were unveiled at the 6th Annual Fire Safety Technology Forum, held under the patronage of Lt.-Gen. Shaikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Interior.
Al Matroushi said that considering the number of buildings, the fire incidents are comparatively low in the UAE.
He added that the panel’s recommendations will be part of upcoming meetings with the Dubai Civil Defence, the Dubai Municipality, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority and the Dubai Police and Ambulance as these departments will start implementing the smart alarm system.
Al Matroushi said the Civil Defence will discuss the mechanism of implementation of the device which costs Dh1,950, which have already been used in the houses built under the Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Programme. The device cost comes Dh40 for a month and was implanted on 220 buildings so far.
Another specification for the building is having oxygen supply at the buildings, which will help save time and effort of firefighters.
The oxygen system will be just like the electricity and water connection and it will pump oxygen to firemen when the fire erupts. They will not have to reach out to water tanks, an added advantage in rescue operations, which ensures safety.
He said that 56,921 buildings have fire fighting systems and 44,277 buildings are linked to the Dubai Civil Defence and 8,283 are under process. He added that the smart housing project helps the Dubai Civil Defence to reach the locations with the help of a hotline that acts like a link between the operations room and the residents.
Al Matroushi said that the role of the Dubai Civil Defence is not to fight fire alone, but also to study the means of fire prevention such as issuing local standards as per international standards. He said that 758 fire fighting and evacuation drills were conducted in 2015 and 17 centres of the Dubai Civil Defence conduct three drills every month.