Fire alarms a must for every home, office and school
Feb 27, 2009
Fire destroyed a dormitory at Masaka Islamic School, killing two people on February 14. On the same day, a home in Kanyanya was gutted down. A week earlier, fire had killed two children in Kisaasi, destroyed shops in Natete and a dormitory at Kibuli SSS.
By Joshua Kato
Fire destroyed a dormitory at Masaka Islamic School, killing two people on February 14. On the same day, a home in Kanyanya was gutted down. A week earlier, fire had killed two children in Kisaasi, destroyed shops in Natete and a dormitory at Kibuli SSS.
Across the border in Kenya, 180 people were killed by fire at the beginning of this month. The fire destroyed the famous Nakumatt Supermarket in Nairobi.
Last year, over 300 serious fires were registered across the country, including at least 50 that engulfed schools. The most destructive of them all was the Buddo Junior School inferno. Billions of shillings worth of property was lost.
According to the Police fire department, however, one of the reasons fires go out of control is because they are not detected early enough. A report released recently by the Directorate of the Education Standards Agency pointed out that almost all headteachers were not aware of the effective fire controls. The same applies to private homes.
“If a fire is detected early enough, it gives people time to control it,†says Siraje Sserunjogi, the director of Kikonge Investments, dealers in fire detecting systems. Detecting fire may not be possible using the normal ear or eye. However, there are cheap but effective fire detecting systems on the market.
According to Sserunjogi, a fire alarm detects smoke in a house and alerts the occupants by making a very loud noise. The alarms cost sh120,000 including installation around Kampala.
“In the developed countries, it is a legal requirement for every building to have a fire alarm,†Sserunjogi says. He explains that the ear-piercing alarm the device makes can be heard from a distance of around 100 metres away. The alarm is so loud that anybody in deep sleep will be forced to wake up.
“Whenever the alarm goes off, it should be taken as an emergency. You have to rush and check the source of the smoke. Do not go back to sleep until the source of the smoke has been established,†he warns. After identifying the source, activate the silencer to stop the alarm.
According to Sserunjogi, there are two different types of alarms, the ionisation smoke alarm and the photo electric alarm.
“While both are suitable for residential use, the ionisation smoke alarm responds more to fast flaming fires, while a photo-electric smoke alarm may be more sensitive in detecting slow smouldering fires,†he says.
A five bedroom house would require at least two fire alarms. Sserunjogi says key locations of the alarm are the corridors, bedrooms and inside the ceiling. The ceiling should have it because of the presence of the electric interchanging wires, he advises.
In big buildings, it is advisable to have at least one alarm on every level. Schools, have a device in every dormitory room.
Sserunjogi says at the moment, many schools are installing these devices. “It costs sh120,000 which I think is cheap, given the billions worthy of property that may be destroyed in a fire,†he adds.
Fire destroyed a dormitory at Masaka Islamic School, killing two people on February 14. On the same day, a home in Kanyanya was gutted down. A week earlier, fire had killed two children in Kisaasi, destroyed shops in Natete and a dormitory at Kibuli SSS.
Across the border in Kenya, 180 people were killed by fire at the beginning of this month. The fire destroyed the famous Nakumatt Supermarket in Nairobi.
Last year, over 300 serious fires were registered across the country, including at least 50 that engulfed schools. The most destructive of them all was the Buddo Junior School inferno. Billions of shillings worth of property was lost.
According to the Police fire department, however, one of the reasons fires go out of control is because they are not detected early enough. A report released recently by the Directorate of the Education Standards Agency pointed out that almost all headteachers were not aware of the effective fire controls. The same applies to private homes.
“If a fire is detected early enough, it gives people time to control it,†says Siraje Sserunjogi, the director of Kikonge Investments, dealers in fire detecting systems. Detecting fire may not be possible using the normal ear or eye. However, there are cheap but effective fire detecting systems on the market.
According to Sserunjogi, a fire alarm detects smoke in a house and alerts the occupants by making a very loud noise. The alarms cost sh120,000 including installation around Kampala.
“In the developed countries, it is a legal requirement for every building to have a fire alarm,†Sserunjogi says. He explains that the ear-piercing alarm the device makes can be heard from a distance of around 100 metres away. The alarm is so loud that anybody in deep sleep will be forced to wake up.
“Whenever the alarm goes off, it should be taken as an emergency. You have to rush and check the source of the smoke. Do not go back to sleep until the source of the smoke has been established,†he warns. After identifying the source, activate the silencer to stop the alarm.
According to Sserunjogi, there are two different types of alarms, the ionisation smoke alarm and the photo electric alarm.
“While both are suitable for residential use, the ionisation smoke alarm responds more to fast flaming fires, while a photo-electric smoke alarm may be more sensitive in detecting slow smouldering fires,†he says.
A five bedroom house would require at least two fire alarms. Sserunjogi says key locations of the alarm are the corridors, bedrooms and inside the ceiling. The ceiling should have it because of the presence of the electric interchanging wires, he advises.
In big buildings, it is advisable to have at least one alarm on every level. Schools, have a device in every dormitory room.
Sserunjogi says at the moment, many schools are installing these devices. “It costs sh120,000 which I think is cheap, given the billions worthy of property that may be destroyed in a fire,†he adds.