13 ways to see if your building is ‘fire-safe’

Every building of Dubai comes with certain specifications describing which fire safety procedures should be implemented according to the UAE Fire and Life Safety Code of Practice.

Building developers, contractors, owners and management staff should be aware of these procedures, whether they have been adopted or not. But, as a tenant, this awareness is equally important.

Tenants may wonder if the building they are living in is safe in case a fire breaks out. Would the fire alarm work? Would the fire spread easily, and where would it be stopped? Would I be able to escape? And how?

Rather than wondering about the scenario, an actual mini-inspection can be carried out by the tenant. According to Civil Defense, it is even within the responsibility of each tenant to be aware of the safety procedures, and notify the management or Civil Defense of any violation.

In order to know what are the mandatory fire safety procedures in  your building, Emirates 24l7 has made up a checklist with the most important points. This list is not inclusive, but may give a tenant some peace of heart.

What type of building do I live in?

In order to know what the required fire safety standards in a building are, you must know what type of building you live in. There is a simple categorisation; low-rise, midrise, or high-rise.

A low-rise building is a structure having a total height of occupiable or usable space up to 15 Meters from the lowest grade or level of Fire Service Access into that occupancy. In midrise buildings, this space is between 15 to 23 meters, while a high-rise building is defined as a structure where this space exceeds 23 meters.

Can emergency vehicles access my building?

Every building should be accessible by an access road that allows access for Civil Defence fire-fighting and rescue apparatus. Further, there should be a fire engine access path adjacent to the building or structure to allow the necessary operational setup.

The access for fire engine apparatus should be positioned not less than 2 m or more than 10 m from the centre position of the access opening, measured horizontally. It should be level, or not exceed a gradient of more than 10 percent.

The overhead clearance of both access way and fire engine access road should be at least 4.5m for the passage of fire-fighting appliances, and a dead-end road may not exceed 45m in length and or if exceeding 45 m, be provided with turning facilities.

What are the exit requirements?

The exit of every building has specific requirements. First, the number of exits should be checked. A single exit is permitted in any building that has four or fewer stories, and has not more than four dwelling units per story.

When more than one exit is provided, the minimum separation distance between two exits or exit access doors may not be less than one-third the length of the maximum overall diagonal dimension of the building or area served.

Further, the exit passageway must be separated from the remainder of the building by a 2-hour fire resistance rating.

Should there be a fire lift?

In any building which is classified as high-rise or high-depth building having more than 2 level of basement, at least one fire lift should be provided. This fire lift must be contained within a separate protected shaft or a common protected shaft containing other lifts.

Should there be an emergency command center?

In any building which is classified as high-rise building an emergency command centre should be provided. This centre should include a fire lift, emergency voice communication system, and engineered smoke control system.

The emergency command centre should be located adjacent to the fire lift lobby at the designated storey of the building.

What are the requirements of a fire staircase?

Fire staircases are fire resistant, allowing the safe escape from a structure on fire. However, the fire will not be resisted unlimited. In high-rise building and midrise buildings, a staircase should be fire resistant for a minimum of 2 hours, whereas a lowrise building requires a 2 hour standard.

The fire staircase may not be a spiral staircase, should be free of any material and should be provided on every storey of the building.

Where should I find smoke detectors?

All raised floors that are 400mm and above the floor level and/or containing combustible materials shall be provided with smoke detectors. Suspended ceilings which are above 800mm from the ceiling level and/or containing combustible material should also be provided with smoke detectors.

All smoke detectors should be checked at regular intervals for correct operation and Sensitivity, and it is recommended the equipment is tested on a weekly basis. Conditions likely to interfere with the correct operation of the detector are damage, unusual accumulations of dirt or heavy coats of paint.

Where should I find a sprinkler system?

All residential buildings should have a functioning sprinkler system. However, often these systems are not properly maintained, or properly commissioned.

Because sprinkler systems do require regular maintenance, it is important to be sure that this maintenance is carried out by the building management.

What are the requirements of a fire extinguisher?

Every apartment should have a portable fire extinguisher, placed in such a way that the top of the fire extinguisher is not more than 1.5 meters above the floor and not less than 30 cm from the bottom of extinguisher to the finished floor. These should be placed in certain areas of the building as well.

Fire extinguishers are intended for fires in the early stages, and operating them requires previous knowledge on how to use the equipment. Make sure to have this knowledge. Security staff must know how to operate a fire extinguisher.

Fire extinguishers may expire, and tenants are advised to check the expiry date. For any fire extinguisher in the building, it is recommended that monthly inspections are carried out to ensure that they are in their proper position and have not been discharged or have lost pressure, or suffered obvious damage.

Should there be an emergency light?

An emergency light functions when the regular lights in a building have stopped functioning. They ensure the visibility of fire escape routes, equipment and rescue operations.

All buildings except for one-and-two-family dwellings should have a functioning emergency light. These should be placed along exit corridors, egress paths, in lobbies and besides exits staircases. Further, they should be provided in lift  cars, emergency command centers, generator rooms, basement car parks, and fire pump rooms.

Should there be an emergency voice-over and flashing light?

An emergency voice communication (EVC) system is interlinked with the fire alarm to give evacuation or emergency messages when a fire breaks out. This system is mandatory in high-rise buildings or in large buildings with a gross floor area greater than 2800 m² or having a total occupant load exceeding 1000 persons.

Speakers with flashers (strobe lights) should be provided for basement car parks, mechanical or machine rooms and at locations where the ambient noise level is 75db or more.

Floor diagram and evacuation plan

Every building should provide a floor diagram and evacuation plan. A floor diagrams shows the actual floor layout, exit stairways locations, corridors, rooms, landing valves, hosereel, fire extinguishers, lift lobbies and other useful information. It should be placed in staircase landings on the wall beside the exit door, as well as beside fire alarm panels, in smoke-free enclosures and in fire-fighting lobbies.

Every tenant and building staff should be aware of the evacuation plan, which should be kept at the security control room or emergency command center. The evacuation plan should provide information about the routes, exits, fire extinguishing equipment, first aid boxes, assembly points and location of the security staff.

It is within the responsibility of the tenant to ensure that every member of the family is aware of this plan.

The fire drill

Evacuation drills shall be conducted at least once every six months at unexpected times and under varying conditions to simulate the unusual conditions that occur should an evacuation be necessary.

Evacuation drills must involve all occupants and exceptions are strongly discouraged. They should be scheduled by the building management at least one week prior to the drill.

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