Housewives first line of defence in home fires, says official

ABU DHABI: Housewives are the first line of defence in noticing a house fire and hence training them in firefighting will help lead to a safer household and society, the Civil Defence said on Tuesday, as it announced the launch of training courses for them.

The General Directorate of Civil Defence at the Ministry of Interior said that it is organising courses in the prevention of fire incidents and safety measures for housewives.

In cooperation with the Department of Security Information and regional administrations, the General Command of the Civil Defence organised the firefighting training course for housewives to familiarise them with the types of fires and ways of combating them.

Sixty-six per cent of the fires across the UAE in 2016 occurred in homes, an Abu Dhabi Civil Defence official said in March. The number of fires in buildings and establishments handled by Civil Defence across the country during the first half of 2017 reached 928, in which 12 people died and 115 others were injured.

Major-General Jasem Mohammad Al Marzouqi, General Commander of Civil Defence at the Ministry of Interior, said, “Organising firefighting training courses for housewives is the first of its kind in the UAE which we launched earlier this year. It aims to train them so they can play a major role in protecting society.

“Housewives are the pillars of the family. We want to raise their strength and defending capabilities in case of emergencies,” he said.

“Awareness in society about the dangers of fires and ways of controlling them are the only ways to protect individuals and society and limit fire incidents’ occurrence and damage,” Al Marzouqi said.

“Domestic fires represent the highest percentage of fire incidents across the country, which is a major challenge for the Civil Defence,” Al Marzouqi added.

In a statement in March, Colonel Mohammad Abdul Jalil Al Ansari, director-general of Civil Defence in Abu Dhabi, said: “The rate of deaths in fires double due to inhalation of toxic fumes. Houses without smoke detectors are four times more susceptible to fire deaths, compared to houses that have smoke detectors.”

Col Al Ansari added: “There’s a 50 per cent chance that [with these devices] lives can be saved when a fire breaks out. This indicates the need for continuous awareness on the importance of installing and maintaining smoke detectors at home.”

According to the Civil Defence, the main reasons for house fires are poor awareness of the causes of fire and the inability to understand and limit the spread of fire. Sometimes, the absence of control on children’s activities can also lead to fire accidents, said the official. Allowing children to play with flammable substances such as matchboxes, lighters and flammable materials can lead to accidents.