Fire disaster averted in Ras Al Khaimah
The garbage room of 18-storey building caught fire, and firefighters stopped a major accident from happening
Dubai: A team of firefighters rescued three people from a fire that was about to spread in a 18-storey residential building in Ras Al Khaimah.
Firemen operating under the direct supervision of Brigadier General Mohammed Abdullah Al Zaabi, Director General of Ras Al Khaimah Civil Defence, were able to successfully prevent the fire from breaking out, and transferred the three victims – who sustained minor injuries – to the nearest hospital for medical aid.
“All residents were evacuated from the building and the fire was extinguished with a high level of expertise, as firefighters used water and smoke suction machines to douse the flames,” he said.
Safety in garbage chutes and rooms
- Garbage chutes and rooms should also follow a set of safety rules to prevent fires from breaking out in the area.
- Fire-fighting sprinklers should be provided on all floors for protection in case of fire which shall operate automatically with spray heads at every floor.
- The ground garbage floor room should be provided with an automatic fire cut off door at the bottom of the chute, which should be 100 per cent stainless steel and waterproof. The fire door shall be operated by a fusible link, which shall break in the event of a fire breaking out in the refuse room.
- In addition to the chute cleaning, an automatic brush cleaning system should be provided above the highest access door a cylindrical housing with replaceable stiff nylon brushes shall scrape and clean the internal surface as the move down and up the chute.
- A control panel should be provided beside the brush access – housing door to operate the washing system and to control the electro–magnetic locks, exhaust fan operating and sprinklers.
- Top part of the chute or vent should be a diameter of nine inches and extend above four inches of the roof with a weathering cowl, complete with bird and insect screen and an exhaust fan, single phase, continuously rating.
- All external surface of the chute should have an application of a special fire retardant paint of two millimetres thick to eliminate sound and leakage and to prevent oxidization.
Source: Trakhees. Department of Planning and Development, Ports Customs and Free Zone Corporation, Government of Dubai.
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