Sharjah fire inspectors move on to homes after making factories safer

Offences in industrial areas are down by 35 per cent as officials set goal to visit every home to ensure fire safety compliance.

SHARJAH // Inspectors are to visit every home in Sharjah to ensure buildings comply with fire safety standards. The Emergency Inspection Committee, made up of Sharjah Municipality and Civil Defence officials, was established in 2006 to make sure that businesses complied with health and safety regulations. Having completed inspections of most businesses in industrial areas, the committee will now turn its attention to residential areas, said its director, Hareb al Tunaiji.

The committee has 98 inspectors overseeing more than 60,000 business premises in the emirate's industrial areas. Mr al Tunaiji said fire safety in areas the committee has inspected has improved. He said offences in those areas had fallen 35 per cent in the first seven months of the year, compared to the same period last year. Between January 1 and July 31 of this year inspectors issued 9,669 warnings and 2,056 fines to companies breaking fire safety rules in the emirate. During the same period last year, they issued 18,049 fines and warnings.

The Municipality issues fines and cuts off the supply of water and power to businesses that do not follow regulations. The same policy will be followed when the committee begins inspecting homes. Sharjah has a population of more than 800,000, but the number of residences was not available. Mr al Tunaiji said a fire in a home could be as hazardous as one in a factory or a business if extinguishers were not present.

"If a fire is not stopped quickly, there's potential it may spread to other homes with highly flammable materials," he said. Two months ago, a fire destroyed 10 storeys of Al Kuwaiti Tower on Al Ooruba Street and left 200 families homeless. "Fire extinguishers cost Dh60 for a small one and Dh120 for a big one," said Mr al Tunaiji. "There is no reason at all why a home should not have one." The committee's first task will be to ensure there is a fire extinguisher in every home. They will then embark on an education campaign to make sure that people know how to use them.

Mr al Tunaiji said the inspections would begin after Ramadan. @Email:[e-mail]