DAMMAM, 2 July — Are we really safe in our skyscrapers? Do the Kingdom’s schools meet standard fire safety requirements? Is our favorite neighborhood restaurant a firetrap? And is the Civil Defense Department equipped and prepared for all fire emergencies?

None of these questions were asked before March 15, when a major fire at a girls’ school in Makkah claimed 13 lives and injured more than 50 students. However, that and the spate of fires in more recent weeks have ensured that these questions will not stop being asked until they are satisfactorily answered by the authorities.

Despite several campaigns launched by Civil Defense Department Kingdomwide, as well as by Saudi Aramco, very little importance is being given to the problem of firetraps.

Col. Saeed ibn Yahya Al-Ghamdi, director of Civil Defense in Dammam, told Arab News that most people treat leaflets and brochures brought out by his department on fire safety the way they treat those sent out by commercial organizations as part of promotional campaigns.

"We can contain fire, extinguish it and fight it; but we certainly cannot prevent it occurring in the first place. Yes, we can educate the public about prevention, but the citizens and residents have to respond to our campaign," he said.

After the Makkah school fire, many educational institutions in the Eastern Province double-checked their fire safety standards. Companies producing fire-fighting equipment did a roaring business in the aftermath of the tragedy. However, the heightened awareness soon petered out.

A general survey of schools conducted by Arab News in the Eastern Province reveals that many of them do not have emergency fire-fighting equipment, and most of them had never conducted a fire drill. Most schoolchildren were completely unaware of fire preventive measures. In a number of schools, fire alarms did not work; in others, there were no fire alarms at all.

The school authorities said that they did install fire alarms and other basic equipment but the students either destroyed them or took them away. The condition of the Thuqba School was pathetic until May. Marks on the walls showed once there had been an alarm system.

According to Javed Iqbal, general manager of Al-Raziza Fire-fighting Equipment Systems, most of the schools do not have proper fire alarms or other preventive equipment.

"It appears that most of the schools have pushed fire safety measures at the bottom of their priority list," he said.

His company has a comprehensive agreement with the International Indian School. He said barring that school and a few others, there is hardly any school which has any contract with the fire-fighting company.

Col. Ghamdi, director of Civil Defense, nevertheless says that after the Makkah tragedy the Civil Defense thoroughly inspected each educational institution and asked the management to update their fire safety systems.

He added that most of the schools have complied with their instructions and that his department has subsequently launched a comprehensive awareness campaign aimed at both teachers and students.

"We not only teach how to prevent and contain fires, but also how to avert a stampede. We have also marked fire exits with bright lights in several schools," he explained.

Another major firetrap in the region is the Iskan (government housing) apartment complex.

The complex consists of 32 buildings, each with 52 flats on 17 floors, with shopping malls, car parking and storerooms.

Fire incidents in Iskan towers are a routine phenomenon. Fortunately, there has never been a major fire and the Civil Defense always responds to incidents there within minutes. But there is no denying the fact that a major fire, God forbid, would be catastrophic.

Elevators in the Iskan towers are often out of service. Although the management frequently checks the fire safety system in cooperation with the Civil Defense, the water hose and fire alarms are playing tools for the children of the residents.

The authorities initially installed everything necessary; but their maintenance remains a big problem.

These towers are among few skyscrapers in the Eastern Province with helipads. Col. Ghamdi said the helipads are perfectly functional and his department conducts frequent checks on them. Not only this, the Civil Defense Department has deputed its staff who happen to live at the towers to remain alert. However, he admits that without the residents’ cooperation all this preparations will be futile.

"Children have to be controlled and every resident should share in the responsibility for the safety of the buildings," he said. Over the past five years there have been no fire drills in the towers.

There are many restaurants in Thuqba, Subaikha and Dammam that are not equipped with fire-safety systems and not have fire exits. Many of them have only one entry and exit point, used by customers and staff alike. On top of that, they keep their gas cylinders inside the kitchens.

Col. Al-Ghamdi confirmed that skyscrapers and other commercial establishments could not be occupied unless the Civil Defense Department issues a clearance certificate. But once the certificate is received, both the buildings’ owners and tenants tend to ignore all the safety precautions.

With the changing skyline of Alkhobar, where more than a dozen new skyscrapers are coming up, it is more important than ever that the firetraps around us are identified.