The issue of fire safety once again rose to the fore following two recent blazes in the UAE, igniting discussions about the need for more proactive risk management measures.
Two back-to-back fires took place recently in the UAE within 24 hours. The first blaze killed 10 foreign workers and injured eight others in a two-storey warehouse in Abu Dhabi on 20 February, while the second incident happened in the early hours of 21 February when a fire broke out in the 79-storey Torch Tower in the marina area. Fortunately, there were no fatalities in the Dubai mishap, but the financial cost was huge.
Although the authorities are still investigating the exact causes of fires, both events once again highlight the need for more awareness on fire safety, particularly with the incredible growth in the number of skyscrapers in the region.
The rapid pace of growth in the Middle East and in particular the GCC, however, has presented many challenges, especially with regard to how fire infrastructure is keeping pace with the development of high-rise buildings. Industry experts said that skyscrapers present their own special set of challenges when it comes to fire protection and suppression, given that the region’s hot and arid conditions make it highly susceptible to fires.
A legacy of fire risk
To make matters worse, cost-conscious developers have left a legacy of fire risk in many of UAE’s iconic high-rise towers. It is estimated that around 70% of the UAE’s high-rise buildings are thought to be covered in aluminium composite panels (ACPs), which have been favoured by developers keen to keep costs down without compromising aesthetics. The problem with the panels is that the thermoplastic core sandwiched in their centre is highly flammable and causes fire to spread rapidly up and down the building.
The panels are thought to be responsible for the number of towering infernos in the UAE since the early 2000s, including the Al Hafeet Tower in Sharjah in April 2013, where coals from a barbeque or hookah ignited non-fire-rated flammable ACP cladding, resulting in extensive fire damage.
A higher-profile blaze gutted the 34-storey Tamweel Tower at Dubai’s Jumeirah Lake Towers in November 2012, where cladding was ignited by a discarded cigarette. More than two years later, residents are still waiting to return, and the cost of repairing the damaged tower has been estimated at around US$21 million.
Mr Walid Jishi, Chairman and Managing Director at Arab Loss Adjusters International, said fire risk in the region is exacerbated by factors, including building codes, safety measures and human elements. “We have witnessed emphasis on decorative structures and deviation from robust quality, and this is seen in high-rise building facades that are prone to disintegration under moderate heat.”
He added: “The wide scale use of sandwich panels with polystyrene in industrial sheds is another factor. With regard to safety measures and its effectiveness, the deficiency is driven by the humans who design, install, maintain and observe.”
The Torch Tower fire was the third serious fire in the UAE in less than two years, and this suggests that “when considered from a loss control point of view; there are inherent defects in many of these UAE tower residences”, said Mr Stuart McCreadie, AIG’s International Head of Risk Management – PCG.
With regards to fire safety in buildings, Mr Peter Stephenson, Associate Director – Fire Engineering at consultancy firm BuroHappold pointed out the need to consider the fire safety and protection systems that are provided as part of the initial building design. He said: “Several fires have highlighted the use of combustible cladding, therefore it is important to ensure that a qualified fire engineer is part of the building design team to ensure that correct materials are specified as detailed in a building fire strategy.”
Boosting safety codes
Following the recent spate of fire incidents, the government and the authorities have initiated various measures to improve fire safety standards across the GCC, said Mr Alexis de Beauregard, Chief Officer – Marketing and Retail Product Offer at AXA Insurance (Gulf). For instance, the UAE government has issued new rulings, including the framing of a fresh law to govern safety standards across the country. This includes applying fines for violators.
In addition to boosting safety standards, Mr de Beauregard said that the authorities are also working with building owners and contractors to conduct regular maintenance of fire safety equipment and procedures, besides giving proper training on how to use them.
Most GCC fire safety procedures and practices tend to be aligned with the standards outlined by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) in the US, and other leading international best practices and standards. However, applying NFPA and other global standards to the Middle East can be challenging. Mr Dean Pola, Senior Risk Engineer, Zurich Insurance Middle East explained: “We have some unique conditions in the region, such as extreme temperatures, an arid climate and frequent sandstorms. Being a multicultural and multi-linguistic region, it can also be difficult to import standards that are designed and written for another country.”
Mr Glenn Doan, Head of Risk Engineering, Zurich Insurance Middle East, added that there are other challenges in implementing and enforcing these standards due to the fast pace of construction and development in the region over the past 20 years.
Role of insurers
It is vital for the insurance industry to work with the government and regulatory authorities to limit the risks of fire incidents, Mr de Beauregard said. “Apart from this, all parties involved should take responsibility for ensuring compliance with safety measures in high-rise buildings, and that includes owners, construction companies, building management companies, tenants, and the general public.
“Fire continues to be one of the greatest threats to buildings, especially high-rise ones. One of the roles of insurers when underwriting such risk is evaluating the building, through questionnaires and/ or inspections to determine the adequate protection and design has been put in place. Doing this on every risk provides the consistency and reliability that international insurance markets require in order to underwrite a building.”
Mr Pola said that insurers’ extensive loss data history and in-depth research covering various industries across the region and around the world, including a plethora of data on fire safety, “can help support government efforts to further improve fire safety management and practices”. He noted that large multinational insurers also have in-house risk engineering expertise that can support fire safety management. For example, Zurich’s team of risk engineers in the region has extensive knowledge of international standards such as NFPA, as well as experience of how to apply these standards to different regions of the world, including the Middle East.
However, Mr Jishi said the insurance industry has lacked due diligence in “creating awareness and reinforcing fire safety management”. He added: “The insurance industry in the GCC, if not the whole MENA region, does not pay attention or invest in research, either individually or collectively. For instance, the lessons learnt from Villagio Mall fire in Qatar were not addressed by any insurer or service institution.
“Similarly, the fires in the high-rise buildings in the UAE, or before that, the Twin Towers in Doha, should have availed the opportunity for the insurers and other civil or public bodies to embark on risk identification, analysis and risk handling including safety management.”
Combatting complacency
Despite increased efforts to beef up fire protection and awareness, a survey of more than 2,600 GCC residents shows that nearly 30% of respondents regularly ignore fire alarms and are unaware of the locations of fire exits. Several reports have suggested that there had been false alarms in the months leading up to the Torch Tower fire, prompting many residents to initially assume they were in little danger when the real alarm went off.
It is a common problem around the world that unwanted false fire alarms make building occupants complacent, Mr Stephenson said. “The most important factor in developing a proactive fire safety culture is to ensure that the occupants of a building understand the safety features in their building and they know what to do in the event of a fire alarm operating,” he emphasised.
Mr McCreadie said: “There is a false sense of security regarding high-rise buildings in the UAE where we can expect to find installed wet sprinkler systems, heat and smoke detection being centrally monitored and hose reels and portable fire appliances. All very laudable, except when the fire is on the external elevations of the structure which would be difficult to reach and the situation made worse by being exposed to the elements that can exacerbate any fire situation.”
Drilling home the message
The fire at the Torch Tower has highlighted the importance of robust fire safety systems and procedures. Mr Stephenson said a key factor to be considered when looking into building fire safety is the on-going fire safety management of the relevant building(s) including the maintenance of all fire safety and protection systems, for example, sprinklers, fire detection and alarm. “If these systems are not properly maintained in accordance with the fire strategy along with the introduction of robust fire safety management procedures and policies the long term safety of the building occupants could be compromised in the event of a fire incident,” he explained.
Mr Doan of Zurich said the insurance industry can help to make the general public more responsible and aware of fire hazards, and educate them on how to protect themselves from these risks as part and parcel of their daily lives. “We need to highlight the facts and figures regarding the severity of actual fire loss incidents, as well as share success stories where robust fire standards and insurance have helped to save homes, assets and lives.”
Fire prevention is a highly multi-faceted discipline, with many factors to consider when implementing safety standards. Hopefully, joint initiatives will continue to remind all involved not to underestimate fire risks.