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  • Oct 27th, 2005
  • Comments Off on ‘Tent cities must have planning to avoid fire hazards’
The authorities of Tent Cities for earthquake victims should administer sufficient planning to avoid fire hazards to which these tents are exposed.

Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Pakistan (ICMAP) Director Internal Audit Shamim Zuberi suggested this. He pointed out that Saudi Arabia administered the largest number of tents living during Haj season every year.

However, in spite of all precautions and experiences, the tent fires were common in which precious lives were lost.

Shamim Zuberi was of the view that the agencies administering those tent cities did not have the sufficient expertise to overcome that hazard.

He suggested fire fighting equipment and trained fire fighting staff should be provided on all tent city sites.

There should be enough space between the tents, so that fire in one tent is not spread to the next tent, and spread all over.

The residents of tents should be strictly forbidden to light the fire for cooking or any other purpose.

To take care of their fire requirements, separate closed kitchen away from the tents they are living in, should be provided to them.

The kitchen facilities provided to the residents as well as the main kitchen where food is cooked for the people living in tents should be carefully planned and built, so that its fire was contained and did not spread.

Wind direction and other aspects should be carefully considered for planning the kitchen buildings, he suggested.

Assistance may be taken from planners of 'Haj Tent Cities' of Saudi Arabia, he added.

Copyright Associated Press of Pakistan, 2005


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