Friday, 15 June 2012

DOHA: Demand for fire safety systems and equipment have increased in the market as many are trying to meet civil defence requirements set by the Ministry of Interior, an Arabic daily reported yesterday.   

All types of buildings in organisations, hotels, shops residential units have been asked by the civil defence officials to meet the safety measures, especially fire prevention within 30 days. Buildings which fail to meet the requirements will face legal action that might lead to a closure of the premises.

"The demand for safety equipment has increased among owners of all types of buildings," said a shop keeper.   

According to him there is more demand for fire extinguishers which are being sold between QR165 and QR175 and fire blankets sold for about QR70 to QR100. Safety boots for labourers are also in equal demand.

Engineer Ahmed Al Joolu, Qatar Engineers association head, said that Villaggio fire accident has created a huge impact in the heart of the people and it has resulted in looking for better safety measures.  

"The grace period of 30 days must be strictly followed and people must abide by the regulation to save life lives. It's a collective responsibility," he said.

"Legal action should be taken against the violators of safety rule regulations and we should cooperate to serve public interest by implementing all safety measures," he added.  

When the grace period ends there will be many violators caught because many premises lack fire prevention systems, especially in places like workshops, small eateries and groceries scattered in the residential and industrial areas, according to Al Joolu.

He also suggested that fire prevention should be included as a subject in the engineering college and new engineers should be trained scientifically, so the new generation should be educated to handle incidents.

However, Khalifa Al Musalmani, a real estate expert says that 30 days are not enough to meet the requirements, because commercial, industrial and big housing units need to do changes in the buildings to implement the safety measures in the premises and more time would be required.

© The Peninsula 2012