Updated fire security code will ensure buildings’ safety

Dubai Civil Defence official says all the city’s buildings will face fresh checks.

Dubai Civil Defence plans safety checks on all the city’s buildings, including those in Dubai Marina. Reem Mohammed / The National

DUBAI // An updated and more detailed UAE fire code will ensure the safety of buildings nationwide, according to a Dubai Civil Defence official.

Lt Col Jamal Ahmed Ibrahim, director of the preventive safety department at DCD, said that while there would be no significant differences between the current safety code and the new one, to be released in March, the updated code would include details highlighting liability in the event of emergencies and incidents.

“This updated code will include a new section about liabilities. So, if the real estate agency is running the building’s operations then liability is transferred from the owner to the real estate company,” Lt Col Ibrahim said.

“The company will be responsible to civil defence in matters pertaining to the building’s maintenance and systems.

“Even the tenant may be liable in some cases. For example, hearing the fire alarm and ignoring it or allowing children on the balcony without supervision.”

Lt Col Ibrahim said that the DCD, in cooperation with its partners, municipalities, developers and owners, would check all buildings in Dubai.

“Throughout the building process, a consultant – assigned by the owner – will be responsible to monitor the whole thing.

“The civil defence will cooperate with consultants to make sure that everything is in order and that all matters are monitored, from A to Z,” he said.

The updated code is partially a response to the New Year’s Eve fire at The Address Downtown Dubai. Dubai Police have yet to confirm the cause of the blaze, in which at least 14 people were injured.

Other notable fires include The Torch, one of the tallest residential towers in the world at 86 storeys, which left more than 100 apartments severely damaged. In 2012, a large fire gutted the 34-storey Tamweel Tower in Jumeriah Lakes Towers after a cigarette was dropped into a pile of rubbish.