Hopes are high that all houses in Dubai will be kitted out with the UAE's fire safety system by the end of 2024, a senior civil defence official has said.
The installation of the Hassantuk system became mandatory from January 1 this year.
Maj Gen Ali Hassan Al Mutawa, Dubai's assistant director-general for fire and rescue affairs, said: “We encourage all homeowners to take immediate action and install the system to ensure their homes are well-equipped to handle any potential fire incidents.
“We hope to have the system in all villas in the emirate by the end of the year.”
The cost of installing the system
The system consists of a fire alarm panel, a wireless heat detector and up to nine smoke detectors – depending on the size of the property.
Dubai homeowners will be subject to a different pricing structure from other parts of the UAE, which are following instructions on the Ministry of Interior website.
Maj Gen Al Mutawa said they will have to make a one-off payment of between Dh1,800 and Dh2,200, depending how much equipment is needed for their property, to install the system.
He said the price is competitive as Dubai officials looked to balance good quality equipment with affordable costs.
The basic plan on the Ministry of Interior website starts from Dh233 a month for 24 months, with an upfront payment of Dh1,000. The option to make a one-off payment of just under Dh6,000 is also available on the site.
“The fire safety system reflects our commitment to safeguarding the lives and properties of Dubai residents,” said Maj Gen Al Mutawa.
“There is a high demand on installing the devices this year as there is increased awareness among Emiratis and residents about the importance of having fire detectors.”
He advised Dubai homeowners to contact the Civil Defence to install the system or one of the installation companies – Naffco, Firex and Ateis – directly.
Maj Gen Al Mutawa advised installation companies to apply to the Dubai Civil Defence and have their equipment tested by the Emirates Safety Lab in order to join the list of approved installers.
Eslam Elbadawy, group director at Naffco, said that after the initial survey, installing the wireless fire detectors in villas takes between 10 to 15 minutes.
“We have been working with the Dubai Civil Defence for two years to provide these systems for villas. Our sensors are certified by the Emirates Safety Lab as per the requirement of the authority,” Mr Elbadawy said.
“The aim is to evacuate residents in case of a fire. It is a must to have the system at home to protect the lives of families,” he added.
The cost of not installing the system
The National reported earlier this month that those who did not install Hassantuk would face an initial warning before receiving a fine of Dh1,000.
The ruling came as part of a cabinet decision in 2020 after a number of fatal house fires in the Emirates, including the death of an eight-month-old baby in a Dubai house fire in July 2019.
All new-build villas must be equipped with the system.
The authority has also started installing the system in around 11,000 villas occupied by low-income families in the emirate.
“We have a collaboration with the Community Development Authority in Dubai to provide the list of low-income families to install the detectors,” said Maj Gen Al Mutawa.
“More than 60 per cent of the villas are already equipped with detectors and the rest will be covered by the end of the first half of 2024.”
The wireless safety system is designed to connect directly to a command room where emergency workers will be alerted to a fire, verify it and then send a response team.
It is already in operation in public buildings such as schools and hospitals.
Officials said the onus is on homeowners and landlords to install and subscribe to the safety system, which applies only to villas and town houses as apartment complexes are already equipped with mandatory fire detection systems.
Longtime Dubai resident Mohamad Hamadeh, 42, has two children and owns a villa in the Mira community.
He told The National that he replaced his basic smoke alarm detector with the Hassantuk system six months ago through Etisalat by e&. It cost him Dh5,903.
“My decision to install the system was driven by a desire for peace of mind rather than compliance with the regulations,” he said.
Mr Hamadeh, who has lived in Dubai for 17 years, said the system is reliable and efficient, after it was triggered by smoke from the nanny's iron while he was overseas.
“I received a call from the command centre to verify if there was a fire after smoke triggered the alarm.
“It was a false alarm but I admired the quick response from the firefighters,” he said.
“I installed the system for the safety of my family. It was expensive, but I feel protected all the time.
“I encourage all homeowners to consider installing the system as a preventative measure against potential incidents,” he added.
According to the Civil Defence General Command of the Ministry of Interior, electrical faults, incense burning, cooking, ironing and smoking were the causes of most of the fires in residential areas across the UAE in 2022.
“[Hassantuk] has successfully prevented over 400 real fire incidents, thus saving lives and protecting properties,” the ministry added.
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Funchal via Lisbon, with a connecting flight with Air Portugal. Economy class returns cost from Dh3,845 return including taxes.
The trip
The WalkMe app can be downloaded from the usual sources. If you don’t fancy doing the trip yourself, then Explore offers an eight-day levada trails tour from Dh3,050, not including flights.
The hotel
There isn’t another hotel anywhere in Madeira that matches the history and luxury of the Belmond Reid's Palace in Funchal. Doubles from Dh1,400 per night including taxes.
HWJN
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MATCH INFO
Barcelona 5 (Lenglet 2', Vidal 29', Messi 34', 75', Suarez 77')
Valladolid 1 (Kiko 15')
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Iraq negotiating over Iran sanctions impact
- US sanctions on Iran’s energy industry and exports took effect on Monday, November 5.
- Washington issued formal waivers to eight buyers of Iranian oil, allowing them to continue limited imports. Iraq did not receive a waiver.
- Iraq’s government is cooperating with the US to contain Iranian influence in the country, and increased Iraqi oil production is helping to make up for Iranian crude that sanctions are blocking from markets, US officials say.
- Iraq, the second-biggest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, pumped last month at a record 4.78 million barrels a day, former Oil Minister Jabbar Al-Luaibi said on Oct. 20. Iraq exported 3.83 million barrels a day last month, according to tanker tracking and data from port agents.
- Iraq has been working to restore production at its northern Kirkuk oil field. Kirkuk could add 200,000 barrels a day of oil to Iraq’s total output, Hook said.
- The country stopped trucking Kirkuk oil to Iran about three weeks ago, in line with U.S. sanctions, according to four people with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be identified because they aren’t allowed to speak to media.
- Oil exports from Iran, OPEC’s third-largest supplier, have slumped since President Donald Trump announced in May that he’d reimpose sanctions. Iran shipped about 1.76 million barrels a day in October out of 3.42 million in total production, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
- Benchmark Brent crude fell 47 cents to $72.70 a barrel in London trading at 7:26 a.m. local time. U.S. West Texas Intermediate was 25 cents lower at $62.85 a barrel in New York. WTI held near the lowest level in seven months as concerns of a tightening market eased after the U.S. granted its waivers to buyers of Iranian crude.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
- Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
- Rational thinking: Breathe and avoid emotional decision-making; let logic and planning guide your actions.
- Strategic patience: Understand why you’re investing and allow time for your strategies to unfold.
SCORES IN BRIEF
New Zealand 153 and 56 for 1 in 22.4 overs at close
Pakistan 227
(Babar 62, Asad 43, Boult 4-54, De Grandhomme 2-30, Patel 2-64)
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Polarised public
31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
Source: YouGov
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
Ain Issa camp:
- Established in 2016
- Houses 13,309 people, 2,092 families, 62 per cent children
- Of the adult population, 49 per cent men, 51 per cent women (not including foreigners annexe)
- Most from Deir Ezzor and Raqqa
- 950 foreigners linked to ISIS and their families
- NGO Blumont runs camp management for the UN
- One of the nine official (UN recognised) camps in the region
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Fasset%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2019%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mohammad%20Raafi%20Hossain%2C%20Daniel%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%242.45%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2086%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Pre-series%20B%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Investcorp%2C%20Liberty%20City%20Ventures%2C%20Fatima%20Gobi%20Ventures%2C%20Primal%20Capital%2C%20Wealthwell%20Ventures%2C%20FHS%20Capital%2C%20VN2%20Capital%2C%20local%20family%20offices%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
