The inferno which swept the Shura Council—
Non-specialists are to be excused for their elation since they probably feel the decision is innovative, even though they probably doubt it will ever materialise. Specialists, architects, or engineers, however, will read the decree differently. They will obviously see the disgrace of having to wait for such an appalling disaster to issue a decree of the kind, the rules and stipulations of which are self-evident and should have been in operation ages ago.
It appears that, as in all precedent cases, no one will be held accountable for the disaster of the Shura Council blaze; the disaster occurred by fate and divine decree. But we have our lucky stars to thank that Egyptian top officials fulfilled their duties in the best manner possible and are now, moreover, acquainted with advanced safety devices that none of us had any idea of. Furthermore, they are now determined to introduce such technology to protect historical buildings from any future damage.
Yet a host of questions go begging answers. First and foremost, why were the original designs of the Shura Council building kept inside the building itself, and were accordingly lost to the fire? These designs are in fact indispensable if the building is to be brought back to what it used to be. Why were the wooden ceilings never treated to resist fire? Where was the water tank supposedly attached to the ground floor to supply fireplugs when a fire breaks out? Had this tank been there, no fake pretexts could have been offered by officials to justify the failure to control the blaze, including the false claim that heavy traffic belated the arrival of fire trucks.
Safety systems, fire-fighting devices, permanent monitoring and maintenance are nothing new and need no ministerial decree. Maintenance, however, is of major significance to guarantee the efficacy of any such measures. And herein lies the catastrophe. In
Anyone who doubts my words is welcome to visit any public office and ask to use the emergency exit. I can affirm that the emergency exist, which ought to accord with fire-fighting specifications and should open swiftly in response to any pressure, will be locked. Once opened, it will be difficult to move due to the piles of trash or building’s belongings stored behind the door. One may also visit the fire alarm room and ask the person in charge how to use the controls, the steps required to evacuate the building, the date of the latest fire drill, and the aptitude of the team assigned to handle emergencies. Finally, one may visit the building’s stores to get acquainted with the adequacy of the fire extinguishing network. I have no doubt that such an investigation would yield horrific results.
Has anybody ever heard about a building in
Needless to say, a Prime Minister’s decree restricted to supplying buildings with fire alarm networks without training people to deal with them and hold accountable those who decline to properly perform their jobs, will be to no avail.
