UAE cabinet decision: Residential homeowners must install fire detectors

Abu Dhabi: The UAE Cabinet, under the chairmanship of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, has approved a Resolution that obliges residential homeowners to install fire detectors devices and subscribe to the civil defence e-system.

The Resolution is in line with the government efforts and the leadership's keenness to protect the lives and properties of the UAE citizens and residents, provide the highest amount of public safety, and protect society from fires hazards as well as the loss of life and property.

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From 2018-2019, the UAE registered several fires in homes and residential buildings, which caused the death of 68 people in addition to many material losses, despite the efforts made to reduce fires.

Home fires accounted for 66 per cent of the total number of building and facility fires in 2019, with the same percentage in 2018.

The Resolution will be applied to all existing residences or those to be built, as it stipulates that all homes owners must install fire detectors and subscribe to the e-system of the General Directorate of Civil Defence.

The Resolution stipulates that the federal or local government departments concerned with issuing licences for the construction of residential homes must ensure that fire detectors are installed and the owner has subscribed to the e-system, before granting a completion certificate.

The Resolution also grants the owners of existing homes a period of up to three years from the issuance of the Resolution to amend the conditions in line with its provisions.

It will boost safety and security levels in homes that will be licenced for construction, by enhancing their building requirements to include the installation of fire detectors.

The federal and local governments will bear the costs of installing these devices in homes for people with limited income, and the federal government has previously covered these costs for homeowners who receive social assistance from the Ministry of Community Development.

The Ministry of Interior, through the Civil Defence Departments, will carry out the provisions of the Resolution and cooperate with all concerned parties to facilitate implementation procedures at all levels.

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