Accidents Waiting to Happen

Everyone who lives at Ezdan Tower & Suites, West Bay knows that when the fire alarm goes off, 99% of the time it is a false alarm. In Tower 4, the alarm goes off about once a week, often in the middle of the night. Two weeks ago, the alarm went off for more than 3 minutes, and you start to wonder, maybe there is a fire. Each time this happens, the elevators will immediately shut down, and all the phone lines will become unavailable.

One year ago an electrical fault set fire to Tower 1, starting a substantial fire which spread quickly. Residence in Tower 1 who first heard the alarm, rushed down 34 flights of stairs only to be told by the building staff that nothing was wrong. They returned to their apartment later and noticed black smoke out their window. The building was on fire.

I have lived in Ezdan for over 4 years and not once have they carried out a fire drill or emergency planning procedures. Half of the fire rescue plan on the back of my apartment door has broken off and is missing. As the largest residential building in Doha, housing over 2000 people, health and safety should be the first priority for all residence and guests.

In March of this year, an electric radiator which I had purchased from Carrefour caught fire in my apartment. I quickly used the fire extinguisher to put out the fire and called housekeeping to come clean up the powder. No alarms went off, and when I asked for a new fire extinguisher, no questions were asked. A month ago there was a small explosion in my kitchen when the cord to the refrigerator melted and all the fuses blew up with a bang. I requested for engineering to replace the cord. No questions asked. The dishwashers in Ezdan are not grounded so if you touch your dishwasher when opened without wearing footwear you will get a strong electric shock. The electric kettles are the cheapest on the market, imported from China and will also deliver electric shocks. Most of the electrical appliances are fitted with European plugs which do not fit the sockets and require cheap adaptors which often will spark and burn out inside with strong surges of electricity.

With the increase in the number of fires in Doha, you start to wonder how safe are the buildings in which we live, and if a fire does break out, how will I know for sure, and will I make it out alive. All buildings should be inspected regularly by a specialized authority to ensure health and safety standards. The systems and plans may be there, but many times they are never implemented or enforced. The government needs to raise the standards of all building materials and designs for all establishments and enforce the implementation of systems and procedures. If the standards are note raised and facilities continue to be neglected, more accidents will happen. The price of life is invaluable and money and funding should never be used as an excuse.