Sharjah Civil Defence issues safety guidelines for Ramadan tents
Stringent protocols to help maintain safety under dedicated drive
Sharjah: The General Directorate of Civil Defence in Sharjah has urged owners of Ramadan tents to strictly adhere to all safety requirements during the month.
Colonel Sami Khamis Al Naqbi, director general of Sharjah Civil Defence Authority, told Gulf News that the department has launched a campaign in this regard titled ‘Ramadan Safe’.
He called for the maintenance of all safety provisions at the tents that serve iftar meals and at household kitchens as well.
Col. Al Naqbi emphasised the implementation of the UAE Code for firefighting when setting up tents to ensure full safety, including the need for an adequate number of fire extinguishers. The work of installing electricity connections should be carried out by qualified and licensed technicians only, he added.
‘Ramadan Safe’
Sharjah Civil Defence has launched a campaign to ensure that all Ramadan tents in the emirate meet fire safety standards, he said.
Col Al Naqbi said special teams are visiting the tents and delivering awareness lectures.
He pointed out that all tents need to be licensed by the department and mustmeet certain criteria in terms of size, number of occupants, material and location.
Col Al Naqbi added that the ‘Ramadan Safe’ campaign focuses on raising the level of awareness in various segments of society, developing positive attitudes towards adhering to safety and precautionary measures and enhancing people’s abilities to act judiciously during emergencies.
The special teams will explain the preventive measures to be followed in kitchens in order to avoid the occurrence of fire from gas ovens, cooking appliances, gas cylinders and electrical appliances used for cooking.
Tent safety requirements
Tents should be elastic enough to ensure safety for their occupants
Storage is strictly prohibited inside the tents
Heaters, ovens and cooking devices are not allowed inside the tents. Only readymade meals can be served.
If the tent is air conditioned, air handling unit should be located outside,1.5 metre tube should be used to supply cold air.
A distance of 50cm should be maintained between the internal lighting and the tents’s fabric.
Electrical installations should be in protected pipes and circuit breakers should also be provided. Electrical loads should be equally distributed over automatic breakers.
Interior decoration and fabrics should be treated with fire retardant materials, placing the air treatment unit outside the tent.
Material and fabrics used to manufacture tents should be anti-inflammatory.
Sufficient number of fire extinguishers shouldbe provided .
At least one afety supervisor should be available to follow up emergencies and have direct link with Civil Defence.
Distance of 4 metres minimum should be maintained between the tents and the booths.
No inflammable materials, waste or grass should be kept in the area surrounding the tents.
While erecting adjacent tents, enough space should be provided for tent occupation and emergency evacuation.
Every tent should have two exits.
Activities in Sharjah
The department plans to launch several activities during Ramadan. They include:
Remote awareness lectures for housewives and parents.
Visiting Ramadan tents in the emirate in coordination with charitable associations and Red Crescent to implement preventive awareness drives.
Awareness through social media.
Questions for public posted on social media platforms.
Awareness messages via Sharjah Radio.