Abu Dhabi: Within five years, all residential and commercial buildings — old and new — will be linked to the central operation rooms of civil defence authorities in the UAE, a top official said on Sunday.
Major General Jasem Mohammad Al Marzouqi, general commander of Civil Defence at the Ministry of Interior, told Gulf News all homes have smoke detectors.
The twin measures will enhance fire safety as officials will immediately and automatically be alerted about any fire.
Al Marzouqi’s comments came on the sidelines of the International Day for Civil Defence conference in Abu Dhabi.
He said: “All old or new homes and buildings, whether resided by locals or expatriates, will be linked to the civil defence rooms and fitted with smoke detectors.
“When it comes to safety and security of the people, we take comprehensive measures. His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has ordered the installation of smoke detectors in all homes of the country, for locals and expatriates.”
Shaikh Mohammad’s order followed the deaths of seven Emirati who died of asphyxiation following a fire in their house in Fujairah’s Rul Dadna district on January 22.
He had said that safety and security is not for one nationality; it is for the whole country.
Ministry of Interior’s General Command of Civil Defence organised a one-day conference in Abu Dhabi on Sunday to mark the International Day for Civil Defence, along with the National Institutions Against Disasters.
An agreement has been signed with etisalat, which will connect all homes to the operation rooms, Al Marzouqi said.
“It will take a minimum of five years to link all homes and buildings of the UAE, including new and old ones. But we believe that we will cover all homes and buildings in less than five years,” he added.
“We have to be realistic and I don’t want to promise an unrealistic date. It’s matter of connecting all old and new homes of the country. We have already started implementing it in old homes.”
Installations law
By law, new homes and buildings must install fire safety equipment and be electronically connected to civil defence operation rooms.
In case of smoke, an alarm will go off and the system will automatically send an alert to the civil defence control room.
All building owners can apply for the installation of the fire system through the Ministry of Interior’s website.
They have to bear the expenses for the installation, but for those who can’t afford, the ministry will pay for them.
Al Marzouqi also clarified that families who can’t afford the cost of smoke detectors will be helped by the government.
Another big challenge for the country’s civil defence is that the UAE attracts people from all around the world, with different cultures, background, languages and awareness levels, making it harder to educate each new arrival.
Al Marzouqi said the civil defence spreads fire safety awareness through social media, brochures, conferences, awareness campaigns at shopping malls and workers’ housing complexes.
