Sharjah reports fall in fire incidents
Increased awareness, better alarm systems, more fire stations cited as reasons
Awareness campaigns by Sharjah authorities have helped reduce fire incidents in the emirate, which in turn have led to an increased level of safety for buildings.
There were 175 recorded incidents of fire in the first half of 2021, as compared to 188 in 2020 — marking a 7 per cent drop, Sharjah Civil Defence said. The Civil Defence department recorded zero deaths due to fire in Sharjah in 2020 and in the first half of this year, compared to two deaths in 2019.
Colonel Sami Khamis Al Naqbi, Director General of Sharjah Civil Defence, in an exclusive interaction with Gulf News, attributed the success to the efforts of the Civil Defence department that took all the necessary measures, mobilised the necessary resources and deployed state-of-the-art technologies to ensure rapid emergency response through qualified firefighting cadres, concerted action and teamwork.
He noted that Civil Defence followed the field’s best practices, in line with international standards, including deploying the latest technology to ensure the best possible levels of control, security and alarm systems.
Quick response
Sharjah Civil Defence have responded to emergencies in a shorter time span than what standard protocol demands. The department is currently working hard to achieve the fastest possible response time to reports of fire by increasing the number of fire stations in the emirate’s vital areas. “The response time during the first half of this year was 5.1 minutes,” Col Al Naqbi said.
Sharjah Civil Defence want to achieve a response time of four minutes by 2022.
Currently, there are 13 Civil Defence stations in the emirate, including four points (smaller operating units). Four new stations have entered into service during this year. These new stations are in Kalba, Al Dhaid, Maleiha and in Sharjah Industrial Area. One more fire station will be opened in the Al Raqeeba area next year. “Fire spreads quickly, so it calls for a quick response. The department has also linked all commercial and industrial establishments in the emirate to the Civil Defence Operations Room to alert firefighters and pinpoint the location of a fire for faster response,” said Col Al Naqbi.
As many as 1,324 establishments in the emirate received warnings from inspectors regarding inadequate fire-safety measures, while 524 establishments were fined.