Despite the good news of the ever-growing availability of successful vaccines to combat the dominating global effect of Covid-19, the pandemic continues to affect and cause postponements of scheduled fire-related exhibitions and conferences, and other gatherings of fire professionals.
Back in the January 2021 edition of Gulf Fire, I reported that event organiser Messe Frankfurt Middle East had re-scheduled the 23rd edition of Intersec, the world’s renowned security, safety and fire protection trade fair, originally due to take place in January 2021, which would now be staged in Dubai in January 2022.
However, in the meantime, the Messe Frankfurt Middle East Intersec team have been very active in staging its ongoing free-to-attend webinar series, in order to provide some expert continuity for government agencies, the wider fire industry and supporters of Intersec. More detailed information can be found at www.intersecexpo.com.
Gulf Fire magazine has been a Key Media Partner of Intersec Expo since the launch of the publication in 2016, and the MDM website will also carry further news of Intersec 2022 as it becomes available.
In addition, another event – the Fire Safety Forum 2021 presented by the Institution of Fire Engineers GCC UAE Branch also launched six weeks of virtual international best-practice conferences running from 3 March to 7 April 2021.
Taking up the Forum’s theme ‘A Global Approach to Fire & Life Safety’, six Best Practice Panels reviewed industry sectors for advancement and technical insights into safety aspects. The Best Practice Panels were made up of subject experts who represented different industry groups and process stakeholders. The Panels shared insights, research & development and industry best-practice advice in collaboration with the Fire Safety Forum Committee.
Another major casualty of Covid-19 was Expo 2020, the major five-yearly World Exposition event due to be held in the Middle East for the very first time. This has now been re-scheduled and is planned to open at the Dubai Exhibition Centre on 1 October 2021 through to 31 March 2022. Despite being re-scheduled, the organisers are keeping the name Expo 2020 for marketing and branding purposes. Over 200 countries have already confirmed their involvement and the Expo Show 2020 will cover an area of some 438 hectares (1,080 acres).
The recovery of the economy of the Gulf states is, of course, critical to the continuing provision of fire protection in ongoing major capital and other projects, and hopefully to those yet to commence.
Expert speakers at the UK Chatham House International Centre have stated that the severity of the Covid effect and its lockdowns has had a particularly severe effect on the non-oil economy across the GCC region and the wider Middle East. While recent data suggests the contraction in 2020 was somewhat less than the 5.7% projected by the IMF in the October 2020 Middle East Regional Economic Outlook, it was still sizeable.
Pre-Covid economic projections put the Middle East’s fire-related market for firefighting vehicles and equipment, plus active and passive building fire protection systems, to be worth in the region of US $3 billion by 2024, reflecting something like an 8% annual growth.
The effect of what this means for the future fire protection and safety industry in the Gulf remains to be seen, but as indications from the countries that have been able to commence early vaccinations continue to be very positive for the recovery of economies, a progressive return to near-full commercial capacity and activity appears likely.
One of the many topics likely to feature during Intersec 2022 is the seemingly eternal problem of fires of electrical origin. Regularly featuring at the top of the list of the Middle East’s fire statistics are those caused by electrical short circuits which often occur through misuse.
Another factor is that older buildings tend to have more inherent fire risks with their aged installations. In these situations, the sheer demand for extra power can put a much greater load on the electrical supply to a building, over and above normal. Air conditioning units, cooking, lighting, grossly overloaded plug sockets and extension cables, added to incorrect installation and poor electrical maintenance, significantly raise the risk and incidence of fires of electrical origin.
Fires as a result of misuse and electrical faults continue to be borne out by fire statistics which demonstrate that the Middle East is not alone in this situation. The UK continues to suffer from some 25,000 fires of electrical origin, a number of which have sadly involved fatalities. There is a continuing trend for these fires to occur in white domestic goods, including some brands of tumble dryers, dishwashers and fridge freezers in domestic kitchens.
It is sad to recall that the disastrous Grenfell Tower fire in the UK in 2017 started in an elderly fridge freezer, and caused the tragic deaths of 72 men, women and children due to non-compliant flammable external cladding panels. The Public Inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire disaster has necessarily been paused during Covid restrictions and is not expected to produce final recommendations until 2022.
There is surely no doubt that when Intersec welcomes some 30,000 plus international fire professionals back to Dubai for the January 2022 show, the outcomes of the UK Grenfell Tower Inquiry and its lessons will be high on the agendas of conference and workshop sessions. The lack of being able to meet in person in the pursuance of fire-related work and activities has been an extended challenge to us all through the past year, but let us sincerely hope that some normality returns in the very near future.
About the Author
Neil Wallington is a former British Chief Fire Officer, a Past International President of the Institution of Fire Engineers, and a holder of the Queen’s Commendation for Brave Conduct. He is the author of 17 books on the work of the fire service, and acts as a consultant with extensive experience in the Gulf on a range of projects.
