Qatar resident Debbie Tuck was alarmed to find that some fire safety equipment in Doha has been installed with its original packing materials. Here’s her advice:

This week a young woman that works for a women’s salon asked me for help. She showed me a photo of a sprinkler in the apartment building where she lives in Najma, along with a photo of a smoke detector in the same building.

These were just two examples, but all of the sprinklers she has seen in her building along with the smoke detectors, are still covered with the original packing materials, or still have these orange inserts in place.

The small bright orange piece on the sprinkler head, once removed, clearly states “remove after installation” on both sides of it.

This small orange piece is not meant to be left on the sprinkler heads!

The “cover” over the smoke detector is only to prevent the unit from going off during construction due to dust. It must also be removed to work properly. Without these things done, there is basically no system for fire alarms or sprinklers to operate or operate correctly.

In a country where plastic is left on so many things to prevent them from dirt and dust, this is not a huge surprise, but this is a hug safety alert!

The following message must be sent out to the residents of Qatar as quickly as possible:

If you see protective covers or installation pieces on or over sprinklers or heat/smoke detectors in your place of residence, please make sure to remove them or have management remove them immediately.

Anyone noticed plastic covers over their fire alarms?