While the UAE’s new Fire Safety and Life Protection code introduces more stringent penalties on violators, it also represents a huge step towards eliminating some of the major causes of the high-profile fires in recent years. The updated code will crucially ensure all new developments will use fire-safe external cladding materials. Existing buildings will also have to comply with new maintenance standards.
Around 1,000 buildings across the UAE are believed to be covered in older-specification cladding panels, according to Ameet Sardesai, director of engineering at Al Fajer Facilities Management.
“Inspectors from each fire station will be carrying out regular inspections in the areas they cover to check if the buildings comply with the rules,” says Sardesai. “It will be the primary responsibility of the building developers to ensure that the cladding installed in an existing building is adequately safe, durable and built to last. If this is not the case, then these should be replaced when the building undergoes maintenance. As per standard practice, maintenance is done once every five years.”
Sardesai believes the new fire code, which came into force in January, will massively help in preventing the threat of major fires in the UAE’s high-rise buildings. Under the new arrangement, penalties ranging from Dh500 to Dh50,000 will be meted out when safety requirements are not met. Third-party inspection is another essential part of the updated code.
Upgrade
From 707 pages, the new code now has 1,562 pages with 20 chapters and some 784 3D illustrations that help engineers to comply with regulations and plan safer buildings.
“Existing chapters of the guide were updated to cope with the rapid development in various economic sectors in the country,” says Sardesai. “The chapters added to the new code include new requirements for villas, fire alert and alarm systems of residential villas, requirements for the boats in the marina and how they should be docked.”
For the new buildings, Sardesai says there are new requirements for fire and safety equipment, which could minimise the outlay for investors. “With the passive and active systems for firefighting equipment, investors will know the budget they have to put from the beginning of the project,” says Sardesai. “For existing buildings, the cost factor will depend on the amount of compliance that the existing cladding has with the new norms of fire safety. Hence, the cost could be nominal or sizable based on this factor.”
Nanotechnology
Sardesai says at least 70 per cent of fire incidents in buildings in the UAE were caused by faulty electrical circuits and generators. The government is therefore working on new technology to manage such risks.
“The Dubai Civil Defence has already initiated using smart systems and technologies, which will be able to turn buildings into smart buildings and help prevent fires from erupting,” he says. “They have begun employing nanotechnology as part of their work in the first quarter of 2017, which will assist in fighting fires and getting rid of large fire extinguishers.”
The new structure also places a greater responsibility on all building stakeholders, including owners, contractors, consultants, engineers, community members and even tenants, in case of a fire.
“Stakeholders such as consultants, property developers and residential owners are required to jointly sign off upon completion of every project, before the final approval from the Civil Defence,” says Faizal E Kottikollon, founder and chairman of KEF Holdings. “It safeguards the tenants to a great extent. While this may add to the approval processes for developers, ultimately it will ensure that all necessary precautions are taken by all shareholders involved in the project to ensure fire hazards are considerably minimised.”
He adds, “The system is expected to include sections regarding access to the disabled during emergency evacuations and other design elements that can reduce the risk of fatalities in case of a fire or safety hazard. Such precautions are crucial to ensure that all stakeholders involved in all projects abide by a universal set of rules and regulations.”
Better practices
James Garbutt, vice-president of facilities management at Jumeirah Group, believes the new fire safety code will make building owners and maintenance providers pay more attention to fire risks, particularly the type of cladding used and its lifecycle.
“Best building management practice requires building owners and maintenance providers to know what products and materials are in their buildings and understand the risk impact of any deficiencies in their design,” says Garbutt. “It will help educate building owners about the benefits reserve and sinking funds for large future expenditure on their buildings, which is a significant move towards a more mature real estate market.”
In the UAE, experts say many building owners and maintenance providers may not be spending enough on fire prevention and safety measures for their buildings. “With a heightened awareness of the deficiencies and non-compliance of building cladding, I expect building owners and their maintenance teams will now start to consider the longer-term requirements of their buildings and the need to have a properly performing external cladding system,” says Garbutt. “In the long run, a well-maintained building will cost less to maintain than a poorly maintained building.”
Most cladding systems deteriorate and need to be replaced at some point during a building’s lifetime. A cladding system’s lifecycle tends to range from 20 to 50 years. This can be much less in the UAE because of the climate, exacerbated by poor maintenance. Garbutt says replacing the cladding to improve fire protection should be seen as an opportunity to upgrade the thermal insulation, sustainability and image of a building, delivering new economic benefits to the property.
“The new code also has requirements for third-party, independent inspections that will cost developers more, but this is a small price to pay when compared to the cost of rectification works if the cladding system’s design and installation are not done properly,” says Garbutt. “In fact, I suspect a building that has a third-party inspection carried out would potentially be able to command an increased market value, which would probably be greater than the cost of the third-party checks.”
Strict enforcement
David O’Riley, managing partner of fire safety consultancy Britannia International, believes the old code had already set a very high standard of quality protection. Having inspected more than 300 buildings in the past eight years, he has concluded the problem is more to do with adherence to the code.
“It should be remembered that regulations without enforcement are just words on a piece of paper — almost worthless,” says O’Riley. “From what I have been able to ascertain, the revised code does seem to be good news for tenants and purchasers of property yet to be constructed, but my question is what it does for those buildings under construction or the existing building stock, which of course is substantially larger than new build.
“If the reported fines of Dh50,000 for non-compliance for new buildings are correct, they are in my opinion wholly inadequate. Given the size of the contracts relating to fire protection, these fines should start at Dh500,000 — this would encourage decision makers to take notice of the regulations, which after all have been in place for many years.”
Although maintenance is a big issue, O’Riley says most fire safety systems are not correctly maintained, rendering them ineffective in an emergency. “Regrettably, I am not aware that the revised code deals with this every important issue at all.”
O’Riley also believes that mandating third-party inspections won’t necessarily achieve the desired results because many of the non-compliance issues are a combination of factors. Understanding these varied factors is important, he says.
Further clarity may also be required to improve the process, including clear rules on who will decide which companies will be licensed to carry out the checks, O’Riley says. Their responsibilities will also have to be clearly laid out, as well as a specific set of protocols against which inspections are to be carried out.
“The irony is that if developers had been more interested in protecting their reputation instead of maximising profits, then they would have ensured that the lead consultant on their projects was held to account on the compliance of the fire safety provisions both during construction and before the final handover of each property,” says O’Riley.
“This simply hasn’t happened because it was much easier and cheaper to simply pass the buck to the new owners. If the revised code does ensure that all stakeholders are genuinely accountable, then it should be welcomed by everyone with open arms.”
