Sharjah: Some warehouse-owners start fires intentionally to collect insurance money, Civil Defence officials said. Improper storing of flammable material and flouting of safety rules are also responsible for fires.
Colonel Khalid Bin Kanoon, Acting Director-General of Sharjah Civil Defence, said many unlicensed companies were manufacturing fire-fighting equipment. A crackdown was launched against the fake manufacturers recently.
Citing the example of a minibus fire that the Civil Defence investigated, Col Kanoon said: “When we put out the fire, we discovered that the owner of the vehicle had removed all the seats and replaced them with tanks filled with diesel. He was smuggling diesel.
“In some fires we discovered crimes,” he said. “But we are not the concerned body to investigate the crime. We report the incident to police and forensic experts.”
Sharjah Civil Defence is studying the possibility of not allowing companies to apply for insurance if they are found to have violated rules and regulations. A company will have to fix all violations and put in place safety measures to obtain the right to apply for insurance again, Col Kanoon said. “We will meet with insurance companies to draw the plan for the proposal,” he added.
The Ministry of Interior is also studying the possibility of making commercial and industrial establishments bear part of the cost of putting out fires.
During a visit to Sharjah Civil Defence recently, Lt General Saif Abdullah Al Shafar, Undersecretary at the Interior Ministry, noted that “fires are put out at the expense of the state and is a very expensive exercise”.
Automatic alerts
Among the steps taken to reduce fire incidents, there is a plan to link all commercial and industrial establishments across the country to the Civil Defence operations room. “The automatic alerts will also show the location of the fire,” Col Kanoon said. “We are working to reduce the response time to four minutes in line with the international standard.”
Sharjah Civil Defence presently has the shortest response time of 5.3 minutes compared with similar departments across the country that respond to the fire in 6 minutes, he added. Increased awareness among business-owners and cooperation with the Civil Defence in implementing safety measures have led to a 87 per cent decrease in the number of major fires in Sharjah.
There was a drop in the number of fires in Sharjah last year compared to the year before in 2012, he said.
All business establishments in the emirate are equipped with DCD alarms, a smart system that is linked to the Civil Defence control room. In case of fire, the control room gets instant information, which helps in despatching fire-fighters promptly, he said.
Inspections
Following recent incidents of fires, Sharjah Civil Defence formed six committees that included more than 40 inspectors to inspect business premises in Sharjah. They conduct surprise visits at business establishments, including factories, warehouses, labour accommodations and in all 20 industrial areas in Sharjah.
Fines are imposed ranging between Dh5,000 and Dh50,000 based on the fire safety law issued by the Ministry of Interior that is implemented in all emirates.
Inspectors visited 8,000 establishments during the three-month long national fire safety awareness campaign organised by the ministry.
They found violations including improper ventilation, lack of fire extinguishers, emergency exits and alarms, apart from poor periodic maintenance. The inspectors urged establishment owners to maintain annual contracts with companies of fire safety equipment so maintenance is done at regular intervals.
During one inspection at a warehouse, the team found the goods were stored right up to the ceiling without leaving any space between the goods and the overhead lights. The bulbs of the lights could have easily ignited the goods, he said.
Safety equipment
The Civil Defence has also warned manufacturers of fire safety equipment to either renew their licences or cancel them after the department’s records showed that only 80 companies out of 200 had renewed their licences.
Sharjah Civil Defence has cooperated with the Sharjah Economic Development Department and will impose penalties on errant companies: First, a fine will be imposed and if they do not amend their status, the company will be shut down.
In 2012, there were 200 companies authorised to produce fire safety equipment in Sharjah. A year later, only 80 had renewed their licences.
Col Kanoon stressed that any maintenance contract should be approved by the Civil Defence.
Many companies store flammable materials or other goods in a hazardous way.
Col Kanoon said companies oeprating in other emirates such as Dubai have their warehouses in Sharjah as the emirate has larger warehouses.
Increased awareness among building owners and cooperation with Civil Defence authorities in implementing safety measures led to a decrease in the number of major fire incidents in Dubai last year.
Decline in Dubai fires
According to Major General Rashid Thani Al Matroushi, Director-General of Dubai Civil Defence, there was a drop of 42 per cent in the number of fires in Dubai in 2013 compared to the year before.
He said the Civil Defence is spreading a fire safety and awareness culture across the community. “The Ministry of Interior’s strategic plan to provide an effective firefighting and emergency response system delivered by qualified and well trained people using the latest technologies is also ensuring that lives and properties are safeguarded,” he said.
Kitchen fires
In summer, heavy reliance on cooling systems and overloading power sockets often leads to domestic fires, an expert said. Besides packing power sockets with multiple devices, leaving equipment intended to be used indoors in the sun for long, can create a number of hazards.
Ahmad Al Didi, regional manager for Underwriters Laboratories, a non-profit product safety testing organisation, said: “Many fires occur because of the poor quality standard of the wiring used inside certain electronic devices, especially those that are not made to be used outdoors, such as mobile phone chargers and cooling fans.”
Exposing these devices to outdoor heat can cause short-circuits, he said. Al Didi added that many people purchase counterfeit products and the wires used in these items tend to be less insulated and can spark and ignite nearby objects when they overheat.
“Smoking is one of the worst things you can do at home, and barbecuing on your balcony. The results of a recent research we conducted for the US State Department show that the time taken for a flash-over or a major fire that starts with one piece of furniture to spread, has been reduced from 30 minutes to three minutes,” Al Didi said.
On buying a good fire extinguisher, Al Didi said that “those that are licensed for use will function perfectly with minimal physical effort and know-how”. It is advisable to place smoke detectors in every room inside a home, he added.
Kitchen fires are also common, Al Didi said, but noted that these are unrelated to the summer heat. “The open-flame in kitchens will lead to a larger number of fires. However, this is mainly due to people placing flammable objects next to their gas cookers. Other reasons for fires include building contractors cutting corners and using poor equipment,” he said.
