Sharjah: Negligence on the part of building owners in following the fire safety code will mean that they would end up paying for the services by the authorities in case of a fire.
A business owner in Sharjah who failed to ensure that his facility followed the fire safety code was handed a Dh80,000 bill to cover the expenses for putting out the fire that broke out at his establishment.
The gutted establishment in the Industrial Area was dealing in petroleum products. The owner was found to have violated the fire safety code for which he had to pick up a bill of Dh80,000. The establishment was assessed by the Sharjah Civil Defence.
The charges were based on the number of hours spent on extinguishing the fire, the number of fire engines and firefighter teams used, and workers and materials employed during the firefighting operation.
These charges [for putting out a fire] range from Dh50,000 to Dh250,000.
The Sharjah Civil Defence is implementing the procedures which are part of the Ministerial Resolution No. 213 of 2017.
“We decided to implement it here in Sharjah due to the emirate’s unique situation related to the size of its industrial areas,” said Colonel Sami Khamis Al Naqbi, director-general of Sharjah Civil Defence.
“Our priority is to ensure the safety of people and a safe and peaceful environment for the Sharjah Industrial Area, which attracts huge industrial businesses,” he added.
“Inspectors from each fire station were carrying out inspections to check if these industrial facilities comply with the fire safety regulations,” said Col Al Naqbi.
