More buildings in Dubai to get alarm system

Dubai: It is expected that within a number of years, more than 60,000 buildings and assets in Dubai will be fully installed with direct alarm system to ensure and enhance safety and protection in the city.

Direct Alarm System installation is mandatory requirement by law in all public and private buildings and assets in Dubai, said Lieutenant-Colonel Rashid Khalifa, office Manager of Assistant general manager at the Dubai Civil Defence.

The monitoring system is organised by Dubai Civil Defence and Pacific Control Systems of which more than 2,000 buildings were completed in Dubai in the last year, with 300 hotels currently underway.

Between the years 2000 and 2005, the number of residential buildings in Dubai increased by more than 42 per cent. This year they completed 4,000 companies and 15,000 surveyed for installations, said Beena Abraham, Chief Operating Officer of Pacific Controls.

"It is absolutely mandatory for all companies to install the direct alarm system otherwise they risk being fined," said Lieutenant Zayed Abdooli from the Civil Defence.

Every building and asset within Dubai, both government and private will be monitored for fire, lift, and emergency alarms using state of the art M2M technology. Every building will be monitored round the clock, said Nigel MacKenzie, Business Development Manager at Pacific Controls.

This initiative is the first ever move in the Middle East and the Gulf to monitor all buildings in Dubai to ensure safety and fire protection in all establishments including industrial and commercial buildings, tourist venues, public departments and residential units.

According to Pradipta Mukherjee, Manager of Technical Services at Pacific Controls, the Direct Alarm System is installed in buildings and links with the command control centre at Dubai Civil Defence via satellite.

Using remote-communication technologies such as GSM, GPRS, and GP, the system monitors the buildings in real time, 24 hours a day. The systems continually exchanges data and information regarding the building emergency systems.

In the event of fire, lift, pump or emergency breakdown, a critical alarm signal is sent to the command control centre automatically. The system also sends signals if any safety system if out of order, he said.

Civil Defense also monitors their vehicle location to identify the nearest vehicle to dispatch the relevant emergency services and equipment.

"E-monitoring of this magnitude will strengthen the safety infrastructure of the city to enhance safety measures," he said during a seminary workshop.