Metro to have smart firefighting system

A hi-tech surveillance system that can detect fires, turn on sprinklers and alert emergency services will also monitor other Roads and Transport Authority buildings

A hi-tech surveillance system that can detect fires, turn on sprinklers and alert emergency services will monitor Metro stations and other Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) buildings. The "Smart System for Surveillance of Protected Buildings" uses heat sensors linked to a central network to identify when a fire has broken out, and computer-controlled sprinklers to extinguish it.

The system will also automatically alert the Dubai Civil Defence computers so that fire engines can be dispatched to the scene. The RTA is the first government department in Dubai to have all its facilities protected by the new technology. "The smart firefighting system is a highly sophisticated modern technology; features include surveillance systems, auto-extinguishing, monitoring of the sensing systems and firefighting around the clock," said Baha Mohammed al Qedrah, the director of facilities and installations department at the RTA.

"The systems provide a direct link with the General Department of Civil Defence in Dubai and will directly alert them of the outbreak of a fire, even if there is nobody at the site to see the fire and report it." He said the RTA head office and several other sites were already linked to the system, and every RTA property would be hooked up to it soon. He also said that although the technology had been developed in Europe and the US, it had been modified by the authorities in Dubai to include additional features.

"The department of Civil Defence introduced vital changes to the system to monitor the effectiveness of fire-extinguishing water pumps and take control of the electrical systems in the building. "Implementation of this system is a step forward in the RTA and Dubai Government strategy to make Dubai the safest city in the world. It responds to any emergency automatically and instantly." [e-mail]