Fire Safety: Do We Pay Enough Attention?

Accidental fires are not an unheard phenomenon. They can break out at any place and at any time and can be the cause of large scale damage to property and to lives of people. In the past many have incurred large losses as a result of such fires. We wanted to understand what views Labs participants have towards this issue. Also are they adequately equipped to battle such a situation? Do people invest in insurance to protect themselves in case such a tragedy was to occur?

Adequate Precautions

Half of those who answered the survey claim they do not think they have taken adequate fire safety measures at their residence. Only 37% think they have taken the necessary precautions.

When asked about fire safety equipment, 42% say that the most easily accessible equipment at their residence is a fire extinguisher followed by a fire blanket according to 23%. On the other hand 38% of those surveyed say that none (fire extinguisher, fire blanket or fire sprinklers) of the equipment is easily accessible.

Insurance

A majority claim they do neither have home or contents insurance covers that protect them from accidental fire. Some of the reasons quoted are as follows:

“I assume adequate systems are in place in the apartment” - Renjith, UAE

“Because of the architectural design of the house there are neglect-able chances of fire.” - Akram, Pakistan

“I don't have any valuables at home. Most of the documents are scanned and a soft copy is available elsewhere.” - Amigo, Dubai

“It is not popular in my area” - Matar, KSA

“Because I think it not a necessary thing when we always be careful to the causes that lead to fire you will certainly don't need any insurance” – Anon