Fire Fighting Industry In Middle East
Firefighters are among the frontline workers who serve and protect the public by responding to fires and other emergencies, including hazardous-materials spills, natural disaster response for tornadoes, hurricanes, and earthquakes, confined-space rescue, vehicle extrication, terrorism response, and rescue operations.
Over the years, firefighting has evolved from a profession that was once handled primarily by volunteers to one undertaken by well-trained career professionals. Perhaps one of the most important developments in firefighters' jobs was that providing emergency care to the ill and injured became a key responsibility. Most professional firefighters are not only trained in fire suppression but are also trained as emergency medical technicians or paramedics. Firefighters' duties also include fire prevention, fire investigation, fire education, and community relations.
Employers of firefighters include airports, national forests, shipyards, and military bases. Insurance companies and building departments of state or local governments, whose responsibility it is to provide bases for evaluating fire dangers and to determine ways of minimizing damage from fire to buildings and their contents, also employ firefighters. Architectural firms often hire or consult fire-science professionals to examine the fire safety of proposed building designs. Many industries have their own fire-protection staffs and private fire brigades.
The fire safety and equipment market in the Middle East region would be driven bythe growing emphasis being put, by both manufacturers and end users, on safetyinfrastructure across all verticals along with continuous demand from the constructionsector of many countries.
Firefighting systems and equipment includes fire extinguishers, suppression systems and sprinkler systems This segment has accounted forthe largest revenue share in the overall fire safety systems and equipment market in the Middle East Economic growth and large scale construction activities are expected to help in the growth of fire fighting systems and equipment market by setting up new infrastructure that would require the installation of fire safety systems.
According to consultancy firm 6Wresearch, the GCC’s fire safety systems market was worth US$1.36 billion, with Saudi Arabia (US$598.4 million), and the UAE (US$394.4 million) comprising 73 per cent of the regional market. The other Gulf States of Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait accounted for US$367.2 million (27 per cent).
Saudi Arabia and the UAE are leading the upward trend for the fire safety systems market in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), as stringent government regulations fuel demand for the replacement of existing and outdated equipment.
Other factors driving regional demand for new fire safety systems include government and transportation sectors, residential, retail, and hospitality verticals, while Saudi’s Vision 2030 and the upcoming Dubai Expo 2020 in the UAE is also likely to boost further growth.
