Zero fatality in fires due to efficiency of rescue teams
If there is one lesson to be learnt from the few fires that have broken out in high-rise buildings in Dubai over the past few years, it’s that the basic design helped in saving lives. This is down to the correct planning and construction of buildings here.
Speaking to Khaleej Times on Monday, Sam Alcock, director of Tenable Dubai (a fire engineering consultancy), said if you look back at the fires which occurred between 2012 and 2017 at the Tamweel Tower, The Address Downtown Dubai, Sulafa Tower and Torch Tower, all the occupants were evacuated safely and quickly.
“One of the biggest factors contributing to this zero fatalitiesrecord is the design of the buildings. But the response rate of the civil defence is also phenomenal here,” he said.
Since the Tamweel Tower fire broke out in 2012, Alcock said there has been “huge changes” in regards to fire safety and prevention measures in buildings across the city.
“After Tamweel, a circular was released by the civil defence relating to the specific requirements of certain cladding materials. That was further emphasised following the first
We have to give 100 per cent credit to the Civil Defence here as well as to the fire prevention department. They proof the buildings to check if it is safe or not. We have witnessed two fires here but no loss of life.”
Sam Alcock, director of Tenable Dubai
Torch Tower fire in 2015. The civil defence introduced regulations to introduce fire stops on the exterior cladding of buildings, to prevent fires from spreading.”
Following last weekend’s Torch Tower fire, many reports have made reference to the recent Grenfell Tower fire in the UK, which left more than 80 people dead. However, Alcock said you cannot compare the two incidents.
“You simply cannot compare these two fires as they were following two separate fire codes in terms of the design of the building.”
For instance, he said, the Torch Tower has sprinklers in the hallways to help prevent the spread of an interior fire — something that was not present in Grenfell Tower.
“Additionally, there are two stairways in the Torch Tower, meaning occupants have access to a separate exit route if one is blocked. In Grenfell, there was only one exit route.”
Ultimately, Alcock said, fires happen; they are unpredictable, but the outcome of such an incident all depends on how a building reacts.
In Dubai’s case, history has proven that the design of a building, coupled with a quick response rate from rescue teams, is the driving force in minimising loss of human life.
“We have to give 100 per cent credit to the civil defence here as well as to the fire prevention department. They proof the buildings to check if it is safe or not. We have witnessed two fires here but no loss of life,” he said.
“This was a controlled event and they managed to control the scene quickly thanks to the good access perimeters on the outside of the building. Again, that falls under the design element of a building.”