Training on fire and safety standards will begin soon with maintenance, engineering companies and consultants already signing up. Classes will begin at the Emirates Civil Defence Academy to help organisations comply with new requirements on installation and inspections of cladding, fire alarms, sprinklers and smoke management systems following the release of the updated UAE Fire and Life Safety Code. “There is a need to understand the standards and requirements that the Civil Defence has for the private sector,” said Drew Azzara, Middle East executive director for the National Fire Protection Association, a non-profit organisation that has developed and published more than 300 codes and standards to help prevent death, injury, property and economic loss due to fire and electrical hazards by specifying criteria for building, service, design and installation in the US and globally.
“Ninety per cent of the UAE code is based on the NFPA. Since it is fundamentally based on NFPA codes and standards, that’s one reason why this training is needed and we are aggressively working with Dubai Civil Defence to provide training to the private sector,” said Mr Azzara who has been involved in developing the UAE code along with officials and members of the private sector. The association has held courses in the Emirates for several years, but the focus this year is on additional training based on the fresh updates.
Classes will run through the year with week-long and more intensive courses. Countries that adopt the NFPA code make changes based on environmental conditions such as heat, temperature, humidity or proximity to salt water, he said. Drastically reducing the flammability of cladding material, tougher fines and accountability of each sector are a part of the amended code. A key requirement is that older buildings needing cladding maintenance must meet the code standards. Third party independent inspections are another important requirement, experts said.
