Lack of safety main cause of fires in Oman

Business Thursday 16/May/2019 14:30 PM
By: Times News Service
Lack of safety main cause of fires in Oman

Muscat: It’s summer again and with soaring temperatures, fire incidents are common and can lead to substantial loss in human life and properties, a senior official at the Royal Oman Police (ROP) has said.

According to the official, failure to maintain and update fire safety equipment is one of the main causes of fires.

A spokesperson said, “With the onset of summer and high temperatures, fire incidents are common, whether in vehicles, houses, factories, warehouses or farms. It sometimes results in loss of human life and materials, although they could have been avoided with attention and prevention.”

Colonel Ahmad bin Mohammed Al Ajmi, Director of Civil Defense and Ambulance in North Batinah Governorate, called for commitment to maintenance of vehicles and ensuring the quality and safety of tyres.

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Al Ajmi said, “The causes of vehicle fires are due to neglect and lack of care in maintaining the vehicle periodically. The presence of sufficient quantities of water in the engine coolant can reduce the occurrence of such fire incidents.”

“A suitable fire extinguisher (carbon dioxide or dry chemical powder) should be placed inside the vehicle so that it is within reach. Driver should pull over on the side of the road and shouldn’t leave inflammable or explosive materials inside the vehicle, especially in the day time,” he further said.

Regarding house fires, the Colonel said that a lack of maintenance of electrical connections and the existence of faulty electrical installations that are not conforming to specifications can lead to fatal fires at homes.

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“Some people do not care to connect the cable to the static ground floor collector to discharge electricity and allow unqualified people to install and maintain electrical connections as well as using low quality products,” he continued.

There is also the danger of placing gas cylinders under the sun, which could explode when the temperature rises. "This can result in disasters through negligence," he cautioned.

In order to avoid electricity related fires and their dangers, Colonel Ahmed Al-Ajmi advised residents to follow preventive measures by avoiding touching the devices with wet hands, tampering with the devices and trying self-repairs as these should be left to competent persons.

"Electrical connections should be far from the passages and should be installed away from the sources of heat or under carpets."