Fire sprinklers are mandatory in the developed countries

Oct 17, 2016 Letters

---

Dear Editor;
As we have seen another fire struck the Gafoors complex. Why is it that the fire chief doesn’t find it necessary to install or make fire sprinklers mandatory? When a building plan is to be passed by the fire chief, with buildings of three (3) and more stories, why does the fire chief not demand that the building install fire sprinklers? The fire chief has to pass the building’s plan and without him signing and authorising the fire pass for the building, there cannot be a permit.
A building cannot begin construction without the fire permit, so why is it that the fire chief is not making fire sprinklers mandatory? Doesn’t he know the importance of fire sprinklers? Does the fire chief know the fire sprinklers are 99% percent effective in extinguishing a fire?
Fire sprinklers are mandatory in developed countries and the insurance companies make it mandatory for the installation of fire sprinklers, the insurance companies would carry out their own test and analysis of fire sprinklers activation, and what sprinklers are recommended for the different types of buildings.
The insurance companies here in Guyana would reinsure their policies, so in the event of a fire they don’t stand the full amount of coverage so insurance companies don’t care about the safety or protection of the buildings or its occupants.
Mr. Fire Chief it is time you use your authority to implement our laws and regulations. Building owners cannot tell you what to do or do as they want when it comes to the safety of the building and its occupants. Let’s say for instance the Gafoor’s complex has a fire and the fire service dispatch fire tenders to suppress the fire and there is another fire at Banks DIH and let also say there is a fire in Eccles industrial site all at once (that day or night), there is no way the fire department can contain or even be there at all three (3) sites to extinguish the fires. This is one main reason why fire sprinklers are important.
Mr. Fire Chief will you just sit and have your legacy of being a fire chief, as being someone who just signs building permits and not implement new fire protection procedures that can save lives and structures also. This simple implementation of fire sprinklers in commercial buildings will be able to suppress a fire and save innocent lives.
The Gafoor complex didn’t find it necessary to have fire sprinklers installed.  The insurance companies who gave the Gafoor complex the fire insurance coverage did not care about fire sprinklers, they cared about the premiums, money being paid for the coverage. A couple months back the Gafoor complex was burnt, I did an article in the newspaper about the importance of fire sprinklers and had proposed fire sprinklers years before the fire at the complex.
I was told they were not interested. Days after my newspaper article there was a notice in the newspaper for me to make contact with a person. Name and phone provided. It advised that I should contact them about fire sprinklers.
I went in to the Gafoor complex and met with the person that placed the notice in the newspaper. I was asked to facilitate them with quotations for the installation of fire sprinklers for an area of100×200 feet.
I told them that I would charge a fee of GY$20,000. I was told that the payment is not a problem. I submitted my quotation and explained how efficient fire sprinklers are. After the meeting, I asked about my fee. I was told to submit an invoice for the quotation fee which I did. Upon following about my fee I was told that I cannot receive my fee because there wasn’t any written agreement for my quotation. I didn’t have a problem because I was hoping that management would approve and grant me the contract to buy and install fire sprinklers.
I asked if I would be given the contract to install the fire sprinklers and was told that the company had a consultant from England that advised to lay pipelines as a ring around the outside of the complex and would have risers (like fire hydrants ) so they can spray water from the outside. Now this will work when the inside of the building is completely burnt.
Why is it that a company such as this doesn’t see the importance of fire sprinklers?
Why if a company is worth over billions of dollars, it doesn’t want to install fire sprinklers? Why management (I am not saying this was a decision of Mr. Gafoor himself for I don’t know if that came from his seniors) couldn’t even pay my quotation fee just GY$20,000? Why would such a company (again, I don’t know if this was a decision by Mr. Gafoor so I will not accuse him at all) not support a young entrepreneur and give Guyanese the opportunity to provide our services, support us as all?
The government and Fire Chief do not see the importance of fire sprinklers.
If it was mandatory Gafoor’s wouldn’t have been destroyed.
I cannot afford to install fire sprinklers for free but to be able to have buildings on my résumé would be great for my portfolio.
My services are available and I’m eager to assist any company with the installation of fire sprinklers.
Vishul Ishwaridin
Area H Ogle,

---

---