Fire safety warning on apartment buildings

This Abu Dhabi building, across the road from Al Wahda Mall, is lacking an active fire-alarm system. Delores Johnson / The National

ABU DHABI // Many apartment tenants may be at risk from fire because there is no alarm system in their buildings, or because fire-safety equipment is not regularly maintained.

In other buildings, frequent false alarms caused by over-sensitive equipment give residents a false sense of security, and they may be slow to react in the event of a genuine emergency.

The National visited 14 residential buildings in Abu Dhabi neighbourhoods and found three did not have fire-alarm systems. They were in the city centre near Al Wahda Mall and in Al Danah, and housed lower-income expatriate workers.

An alarm is only one part of a fire-safety system, experts say. Alarm systems must have regular, proper maintenance to function correctly, and residents should know when systems are being tested.

Authorities appear reluctant to discuss the issue. Abu Dhabi Municipality said inquiries should be directed to Civil Defence. The National put a series of questions to Civil Defence on August 11, on fire-safety issues in general and in particular how residents should respond to frequent false alarms. They have not yet responded.

Four people were injured when a fire broke out in a 17-floor residential building on Electra Street in the city on August 7. Some residents said at the time that the alarm went off frequently in their building, as many as five times a week, and speculated that the system was either too sensitive or was set off by people smoking or cooking.

Several of those living in Al Ibrahimi Restaurant building – mostly employees of local companies – said that they initially assumed it was another false alarm, not knowing that a fire had started in a bunk-bed on the top floor.

“We hear the fire alarm and we think it’s normal,” said one resident, from Syria. “After 10 minutes, we started to smell the gas and things.”

But Alaa Salam, manager of Al Calily Maintenance and Services, which manages the building and has an office in it, said last week he thought what residents were saying was unlikely.

The alarm system was still new and maintenance testing was being carried out, he said, and residents could contact the watchman or his company to find out whether the alarm they heard was just a test.

The company was paying for the residents to live in a hotel while insurance and repair contracting issues are sorted out, said Mr Salam.

“Our important issue now is the people that got affected from this, and return their lives to normal,” he said.

Good maintenance and ensuring that the correct smoke heads are fitted in apartments can prevent false alarms from sounding, said Emma Button, who works with the property company Jones Lang LaSalle.

Buildings should also have regular fire drills so that people know how to evacuate in case of a fire, she said.

Regular communication with tenants, adhering to the international standards and the UAE fire and life safety code, practising evacuations and creating a risk assessment that states what to do in the event of a fire are all of key importance, said Ms Button.

“It’s basically just making sure you’ve got all your policies and procedures in place,” she said.

Ms Button said a crucial aspect of a fire-alarm system was keeping residents informed in the event of a test.

When an alarm goes off, building security or a watchman would get a notification, then have the option to stop the alarm or let it continue if there is a genuine emergency.

With numerous false alarms, building security could get to the point where they don’t investigate whether there is a fire, Ms Button said.

“The main important thing is that fire-alarm systems have to be maintained in order to give people fair warning, and that any activation signals an actual incident.”