General

Cairo Residents Get Free Smoke Detectors: Everything You Need to Know

25 Jan, 2018

As of 20 January, fire alarms have been installed free of cost in homes in Cairo. This door-to-door installation programme, which has been hailed by residents as a “major life-saving donation,” became successful as a result of the American Red Cross joining forces with the Cairo fire department and Cairo High School Beta Club. According to American Red Cross officials, Cairo has been selected for the free installation of smoke alarms based on the inference that “Cairo is highly likely to have fires, and is one of the least likely places to have smoke alarms.”

Taking risks in poker can be beneficial, but it is not the case when playing with fire. As everybody knows, it is always advisable to take every possible precaution when dealing with a fire. And it is the duty of the more well-off to help those without the means to protect their life, not only against fire accidents but also against any possible disaster. Keeping this in mind, the installation of smoke detectors has begun under the Sound the Alarm campaign.

The Red Cross-initialled Sound the Alarm campaign is a series of events that aim to enhance home fire safety with a range of programmes, including free smoke alarm installation, thereby helping residents have some peace of mind and enjoy Omaha Hi-Lo in a relaxed manner. It also involves providing free fire prevention and safety education as an awareness generation measure. According to the information provided by the Red Cross website, by the time they had installed the smoke detectors in Cairo, they have already installed more than 1 million smoke alarms elsewhere in the world.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), while burns lead to an estimated 180,000 deaths every year, most of them occur in low- and middle-income countries. Both the fatal injuries but also the non-fatal burn injuries are a cause of concern as non-fatal burn injuries are a leading cause of morbidity. As WHO rightly points out, burns have been found to occur mainly in the home and workplace, and are mostly preventable.

As a matter of fact, it is the women and children who are most vulnerable to fire tragedies. And according to WHO findings, in Egypt — whose capital is Cairo — 17 per cent of children with burns suffer from temporary disability while 18 per cent have a permanent disability.

Like any other disaster, fire accidents have adverse economic impacts apart from physical and psychological pain. It not only affects the progress and welfare of the affected persons or region but the entire world. And the best action against fire accidents is prevention and anticipatory security preparation. Hence, the installation of free smoke detectors in Cairo has been hailed as a great initiative to help save Cairo residents from “playing Texas Hold ‘Em with fire.”