Dubai to triple villa fire alarms after tragedy
Civil Defence says it now aims to connect tens of thousands of homes to fire services for instant notification
About 60,000 villas will be fitted with fire detection systems connected directly to Civil Defence control rooms in Dubai, three times more than originally planned, with installations starting next month.
The decision came after the deaths of seven Emirati children in Fujairah on Monday.
They asphyxiated when a fire broke out at the family’s villa while they slept.
The initial plan for this year was to install the alarms in 20,000 villas, said Col Ali Al Mutawa, assistant general manager smart services for Civil Defence.
After the fire, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, called for all homes to be linked to Civil Defence stations.
Col Al Mutawa said the homes would be fitted with the 24/7 Life Safety Dashboard.
In Dubai, about 68,000 commercial buildings are already connected to emergency fire teams.
There are 90,000 private villas in the emirate.
“We will announce details within one week about how villas can register, whether it is online or through customer centres. We will start installations a month from now,” Col Mutawa said.
“Most villa fire deaths are caused by toxic gases. The fire eats the oxygen and pushes carbon monoxide levels higher. People are asleep and they are not aware that they are inhaling carbon monoxide.
“This system will help announce that there is a problem because the smoke detectors are so sensitive they will sense gas and smoke before people in the house know there is a problem.”
Between seven and 10 smoke detectors will be fitted in each villa, depending on the size of the home.
Detectors will be placed in the kitchen, dining and bedroom areas.
“The most important issue for our engineers is to discover the risk very soon and evacuate the villa.
“When the risk starts it is very small and it can still be controlled, so time is a big factor,” Col Mutawa said.
Fitting villas with the alarms won’t be as complicated as it is for commercial buildings, experts said. But it is important occupancy information is kept up to date for the system to be effective.
“This is a great and needed initiative, but it needs to be managed and updated regularly with new information and contacts in case the occupants change,” said Douglas Ralph, chief executive of Snap and Inspect, a property inspection company.
“There should also be discussions with family members about what to do and where to meet so you know that everybody got out OK.
“These are little things, but important, so especially children understand and don’t panic, because they have been trained.”
A countrywide plan was also announced last year by the Ministry of Interior to link homes with Hasantak, an integrated alarm system.
Hasantak would be connected to a central centre that would receive information about a fire in any emirate as part of the monitoring of emergencies.
The ministry said this would involve cameras linked to fire safety systems to alert the federal control room.
No further details on the plan are yet available.