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NEW APPROVAL SCHEME FOR EMERGENCY LIGHTING SYSTEMS
A new BAFE (British Approvals for Fire Equipment) approval scheme for companies designing, installing commissioning and maintaining emergency lighting systems – to be known as SP203-4 – will be incorporated into the series of approvals which currently covers fire detection and alarm systems and fixed gaseous fire suppression systems. The emergency lighting scheme will also have a modular framework, enabling companies to select one or more of the modules, according to their expertise.
The scheme is currently out for public comment with a deadline of 30 September 2009 for comments to be submitted, and is expected to be launched before the end of 2009. “The SP203 series was reviewed last year, simplifying the scheme by separating out the different elements involved in a fire detection and suppression system into their own distinct modules,” said Tony Maskens, BAFE Technical Schemes Manager. “Emergency lighting has thus far not been covered but we recognised that it should be and have therefore been working to address this.
As with other products, systems and services involved in life safety, client companies, insurers and regulatory authorities are looking for ways in which companies can unequivocally demonstrate they are competent to carry out the work that they do. BAFE third party certification is the most robust way of achieving this and will now be available to companies involved in emergency lighting for industrial and commercial premises.” 
SHARJAH WORKPLACE FIRE TRAINING SUCCESSFULLY CUTS FIRES BY 33%
The effect of training workers in the basics of fire safety has been successful in reducing the number of fire outbreaks in the emirate by a third. Over a period from January to September 2009, Sharjah Civil Defence said there had been 303 fires compared to 450 in the preceding period in 2008.
Colonel Waheed Al Serkal, Head of Sharjah Civil Defence said that as a part of a programme launched this year, the department had trained 300 company staff based in the Hamriya Free Zone in fire prevention, safety and containment. Worker training had previously been identified as one of the most important elements in trying to reduce the emirate’s high number of fire outbreaks. Colonel Serkal also said that starting in 2009 the Civil Defence had made it mandatory for every company in the Sharjah Free Zones to have at least 10% of workers with a good knowledge of fire safety techniques and handling fire accidents in the workplace.
PEOPLE BEHAVIOUR AND DESIGN SET OUT IN NEW ISO REPORT
A recently published report from the International Organisation for Standardisation will compliment the understanding of people’s behaviour, especially that of escape during a fire, and assist in the design of safer buildings.
The new report is entitled ISO/TR 16738: 2009: Fire Safety Engineering – Technical information on methods for evaluating behaviour and movement of people . The document sets out the engineering methods used for evacuation strategies as part of wider fire safety engineering methodology for built environments. These can include major building complexes, tunnels, underground developments and transport systems.
The report is intended for use together with other sections of ISO documents including ISO/TR 13387: Fire Safety Engineering and is available from: www.iso.org (opens a new window)
IMPROVED TRANSPORT SCHEMES IN THE REGION
Approval has been given for a federal government-owned railway company called Etihad Trains whose aim is to contribute to all businesses related to a modern railway network which shall link all parts of the UAE. Abu Dhabi is also spending US$27 million of the installation of 550 air conditioned bus shelters whilst Dubai will have 1,800 new buses by the end of 2009 linking all communities with the new Metro system. Doha City in Qatar is to be transformed by transport projects including a Metro light rail system and an expansion of bus networks. Sharjah plans to convert 85% of its buses to run on compressed natural gas by the end of 2009.
FIRE MIDDLE EAST MAGAZINE PROMINENT AT 2009 QATAR CIVIL DEFENCE EXHIBITION IN DOHA
Fire Middle East had a strong presence at the Qatar Civil Defence Exhibition in Doha on 3rd – 5th November 2009 where Wendy Otway, Advertising Sales Manager Worldwide, together with Fire Middle East Editor Neil Wallington, were both able to welcome many visitors, exhibitors and officials to the magazine’s stand. Over the three days of the show, in excess of 2,500 free copies of the latest edition of Fire Middle East were distributed and many visitors to the stand informally discussed fire safety and firefighting matters relevant to Qatar and the region.
Qatar Civil Defence Exhibition and Conference 2009 was the second event of its kind in Qatar after the great success of the 1st Civil Defence Exhibition held in September 2007. This year’s theme, Making our World Safe and Secure, highlighted the importance of safety management through workshops, interactive sessions and talks by speakers from top safety and engineering professionals from around the world. The exibition showcased modern technologies and innovation in crisis and emergency management, emergency preparedness, contingency planning and civil protection.
 Dar Al Sharq, Qatar’s premier media gateway, is the event’s main organizer. “More than 100 companies representing more than 250 international agencies participated in the Exhibition” said Eiz Eldin Abdrahman, Head of the Exhibition and Dar Al Sharq’s Marketing and Publication Manager.
Below left Brigadier Abdullah Bin Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Chief of Qatar Civil Defence Authority and Chief of the Organising Committee for the Exhibition
Below right Eiz Eldin Abdrahman, Executive Manager, Qatar Civil Defence Exhibition
DUBAI'S NEW METRO SYSTEM SETS THE STANDARD
Left: A night external image of a Metro station. Fully air conditioned, these are designed with a unique shell-shaped roof which invokes the heritage of pearl diving - an integral part of Dubai's history
On 9 September 2009, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum accompanied by other senior members of the government, inaugurated the first train on the Red and Green lines of Dubai's new Metro system
R eported to be the world’s most integrated and technologically advanced urban and the largest automated driver-less train system, the £4.5 billion Dubai Metro was inaugurated with 70 kilometres of running track and 47 stations, nine of which are underground. The Dubai Metro is anticipated to carry some 1.2 million passengers per day making for an annual likely total of 355 million passengers per year.
With the future commissioning of the system’s Blue and Purple lines, the Dubai Metro will ultimately have a total of 318 kilometres of track embracing all the significant parts of the Emirate. The new Metro system comes in direct response to meet the transport needs of the Emirate’s huge growth. From a population of 183,000 in 1970, Dubai now has a population of 1.1 million and growing at a rate of 6.4% per year is predicted to reach three million by 2017.
The interior of each of the system’s 47 stations all feature themes adopted from the four elements of nature: water, air, fire and earth. The design of the exterior of the elevated stations is a unique shell-shaped roof which invokes the heritage of pearl diving – an integral part of Dubai’s history.
The theme of water and air is carried through into the interior design of the trains, each of which has five compartments and three classes – Golden Class with leather seating, Women and Children’s Class, and Silver Class.
Naturally, such a sophisticated and extensive mass transport system demands a very high level of fire safety and the detailed planning and design saw an application of not just NFPA 130 – the internationally applied standard for Transit and Passenger Rail Systems – but also the combined protective requirements of EN54 and BS 5839.
The stations of the Dubai Metro are all connected and monitored from the line’s Operation Control Centre at the Rashidiya Depot. Each station has over 500 monitoring interface points and these are linked to the voice evacuation and integrated fire alarm systems.
Colonel Abdullah Al Ghaithi, Director of Public Transport Security Department of Dubai Police stated that the Metro stations will eventually be secured by 668 military personnel, 3,000 surveillance cameras, two police stations, eight security offices and police.
One of the most advanced early detection and signalling systems is that for fire sensing on the Dubai Metro where it can eliminate false alarms of any type of environment, especially in the underground stations. The system’s gas sensing combined with dual angle optical and heat detection eliminates a higher number of false alarms whilst still improving the speed of detection. Its four sensing elements monitor the environment to accurately distinguish smoke from a real fire and that of cigarettes, as well as steam and aerosols or many other known causes of false alarms.
Fibre optic cables allow for faster speed of transmission of information and guarantee the secure connection of all control panels, even over wide distance. Uniquely, the Dubai Metro does not utilise any polyvinyl chloride material and hence this will ensure that any fire emits zero hydrocarbon fumes and that too with minimal smoke.
In future editions, Fire Middle East will be featuring the fire safety systems of the Dubai Metro in some detail
Some Dubai Metro Facts:
- It is the world's longest automated driverless urban train system
- It took only four years from start to launch on 9 September 2009
- Construction materials used for the stations and trains are fireresistant with zero halogen and are toxin free
- 30,000 workers were engaged on the build, with a consortium of five contractors and 150 sub-contractors
- The Project was operationally launched on schedule
- All train operation is protected by Automatic Train Protection. If any train stops or breaks down on the track, all following trains stop automatically
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