The absence of the tradition of fire-fighting naturally led to a string of blazing disasters. Al-Ahram Weekly investigates Firing facts It's more than just short-circuits causing fires to break out across the capital, a former firefighter tells Dena Rashed Fires have been breaking out in a number of landmark areas across Egypt. In August this year, a huge fire tore through the Shura Council, while last month the National Theatre and several important factories suffered huge losses. While each fire broke out for different reasons, one factor remains the same: fires take people by surprise, and they are always destructive. For 25 years, Raafat El-Gamal fought fires in several areas of Greater Cairo. He headed the Fire Department in Sixth of October Industrial Area, and the Fire Prevention Unit at Giza. While he is no longer active, he is able to evaluate the preparedness of facilities and districts. With years of experience behind him, El-Gamal knows what he's talking about when he lists the major causes of fire. "I believe the main causes are the lack of appropriate maintenance for buildings, problems in the installation of electricity, along with the lack of the fire extinguishers and fire prevention plans. Also, the use of flammable liquids has increasingly become a major source of fire," he told Al-Ahram Weekly. In his view, none of the theatres are equipped to handle fire. "I actually believe that there will be more fires in future in other theatres as well," he said. "Sure, the newly- built theatres are much better than the old ones, and so are the hotels. But the Television and Radio building, for example, is not well equipped to handle fires." On the other hand he believes that the Cairo Opera House in Gezira, which he personally inspected while still active, is probably one of the best equipped places. The real problem lies in buildings constructed before 1980, the year the fire code was passed. Buildings constructed afterwards were expected to follow regulations set by the Fire Department. That is not to say, of course, that each and every construction company applied the rules strictly. For example, El-Gamal said, 18 buildings comprising 24 floors each in Geziret Al-Dahab in south Giza, were built after 1980 in violation of the fire code. Consequently, they were left unlicensed for tenants to start moving in. "I have stood in the way of landlords who don't abide by the rules. Some nevertheless managed to sell their apartments, but the rest are empty. Even now it bothers me to know that people might be living in buildings which are unsafe," El-Gamal told the Weekly. Ironically, he added that the owner of one of the buildings in question is a professor of engineering -- though even that did not stop him from buying and selling unsafe homes. And while those buildings were inspected by the Fire Department, some escape completely. Still others aren't even equipped with fire extinguishers. El-Gamal recounts a sad, indeed shocking experience of a routine inspection of Giza schools. "Not a single school had a fire hose or a fire extinguisher. Even when there were extinguishers, they were not working," he said. As for evacuation plans, which would require that everyone in a danger zone report to an agreed assembly point within four minutes of sounding the alarm, "there is almost none." What do we need to be better prepared? A lot, it seems. El-Gamal believes that, while we in Egypt have the right equipment, we need more training, "More firefighters should be given scholarships abroad in countries like Japan," he said. El-Gamal himself took a four-month training course in Japan, one he believes reinforced his capabilities. He also feels more public awareness is needed. He recalls many instances of being on his way to put out a fire along with his team, and being faced with traffic jams caused by drivers refusing to budge even when they heard the siren. On the other hand, when they reach their destination, firefighters often suffer from interference in their work, making it more difficult for them to save lives and put off the fires. As for the government, there should be emergency lanes added to main roads, to cut down the chances that fire engines will get stuck. As for what each of us can do as citizens, what many of us don't know is the fact that the Fire Department gives one-week training courses in its Civil Defence centres on fire prevention. Or, at the very least, we should learn how to use a fire extinguisher. El-Gamal advises that every house should have a 3kg powder extinguisher. "If people could handle small fires in their houses, we would not have bigger ones," he said. "Fires always start small."
