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Based on the statistics gathered over the last five years in all emirates, Civil Defence rates domestic fires as the most frequently occurring of all fire cases in buildings and establishments.

In Dubai alone domestic fires amounted to 103 incidents last year, of which 57 took place in villas or residences, while another 46 took place in flats and apartments.

Preventive awareness lies at the key of an effective domestic fire protection program, believes Civil Defence. The National Campaign for Families Domestic Safety was launched and a team of specialist was formed to spread the awareness that could prevent domestic fire incidents from happening.

The team will knock on the door of every family in the UAE, and distribute publications throughout the country on how to minimise the risks of fire at home. Emirates 24|7 has put together some of these tips.

Gas protection

If you have a gas sustained burner or stove, you are dealing with one of the most dangerous risk factors in the house. Gas is mostly dealt with in the kitchen, where a lot of things can go wrong.

One leak in the gas equipment can be disastrous. It is therefore important to frequently check the gas cylinder and gas installations (pipes, hoses, and valves). One should ensure the rubber pipe is of good quality, long enough to avoid formation of sharp bending and without cracks.

When there is the suspicion of a leak, the best way to find out is through the use of soap; after the soap is applied on the suspicious area, the formation of bubbles would indicate there is indeed a leak. Matches should not be used in this procedure.

The gas cylinder should always be placed outside the kitchen area in a well-ventilated, closed cabinet. Exposure to heat should be avoided, and the cylinder should remain closed when not in use.

Before gas release, burners and the oven should be checked to ensure they are clean and the outlets are not blocked. In case of using the oven, matches should be ignited before the oven is opened.

Every kitchen should have a gas detector.

Electricity use

Plugs, sockets and wires are considered risk factors. A considerable number of risks are involved at different stages.

A common cause of fire is the electrical circuit. Although most houses have circuit breakers, interrupting the electricity stream when overload is reached, outlets do catch fire at times.

It is good to know which devices share an electrical circuit. Per circuit, one device should be operational, advices Civil Defence. "Especially in holidays such as Ramadan, families tend to operate all devices at once," said Shehabe Al Badawy, International Lecturer and Fire Safety Trainer at Dubai Civil Defence. "The family wakes up, turns on the AC, turns on the TV, starts cooking and all of this at once."

To calculate whether your device can be operated without causing overload, one can make a simple calculation: divide the watt the device is using by the voltage in your house. The resulting number is the current that will stream through a conductor, expressed in amps. Each circuit can handle only a limited amount of amps, mostly around 120.

Furthermore, Civil Defense recommends that unused electrical devices are switched off at all times, and sockets are removed when not in use.

Special notice is made of the laptop, which a lot of times remains plugged in. After use, the laptop should be disconnected from the electrical wire, and placed out of reach of flammable material, as the plug heats up and may cause fire.

Equipment itself can form a risk factor, if international standards are not adhered to. A lot of cheap devices make it to the market, not always in line with safety standards. More and more products are monitored by the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA), which can be recognized by the Emirates Quality Mark (EQM).

Internal and external electrical network wires must be coated in insulated pipes. Any technical fault must immediately be repaired.

Our own actions

There are certain risk factors simply produced by human behavior. Smoking causes 25 per cent of all fire incidents, states Civil Defense. One should never smoke in the bedroom. When smoking on the balcony, the cigarette butt must be deposited in the appropriate manner after it was extinguished. Throwing a burning cigarette butt off the balcony has caused many fire incidents in the UAE.

Ironing is another potential risk. When a heated iron bar is left on a fabric surface for too long, this can cause fire, or damaged clothes at the very least. The iron bar should always be switched off when not in use.

Candles and fumigators are known to have caused many fires. Always place these items at distance from inflammable materials, and never close to a window, as the wind may cause the igniter to topple. Children and pets may do the
same; make sure that the items are places out of reach for both, advises Civil Defence.

Structural nature of the house

Thinking that fire can be prevented is a first step. But in case a fire breaks out, the environment should allow for a proper response. In larger residences such as villas, the structural nature of the house requires more fire safety measures.

Kitchen, corridors, children rooms, sitting rooms, and storage must all be provided with smoke/heat detectors and voice alarm systems.

A villa or house should be provided with more than one obstacle free emergency exit. There should be one or more external escape stairs.

Windows may not be structured with iron bars. And the kitchen should be provided with minimum half an hour fire resistant doors.

Every residence should be provided with at least one fire extinguisher in the kitchen, and villas or houses are recommended to have additional extinguishers in the corridors and other places of the house. Each kitchen should be provided with a fire blanket.

Finally, one should have an escape plan. For families, Civil Defence advises to appoint one family member to assist others when evacuating, and train all family members -especially children- on how to evacuate may a fire break out.

In case a fire breaks out, evacuation is the first step to take. The door should be closed behind you to prevent the fire from spreading further. Once outside, Civil Defence must be contacted.

 

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