A Ramadan tent safety alert has been issued in Bahrain over concerns that the traditional pastime could be endangering lives.

People smoking sheesha inside often highly flammable tents set up specially for the holy month, as well as faulty electrical connections and air-conditioning units, pose a serious safety risk, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

Civil Defence director-general Brigadier Mohammed Showaiter told the GDN that security personnel had been raising awareness of the dangers during visits to different tents.

Many are pitched by members of the public in residential neighbourhoods and are a popular meeting place during Ramadan nights.

“One of the biggest challenges for us is the fear of a fire breaking out in Ramadan tents, because young people smoke cigarettes and sheesha inside,” he said.

Community police have been supporting the safety drive by ensuring tents are equipped with fire extinguishers and inspecting electrical connections, which power air-conditioning units, televisions, lighting and other devices.

Brigadier Showaiter revealed that many people were overloading power sources, often connecting cables to the main power supply of their homes.

He warned that could result in a short-circuit, which is a common cause of fires in Bahrain.

“There could be a short circuit because of the excess load,” he said.

“Another common trend our teams have noticed during visits is that people plug too many electrical appliances into one socket, which can lead to overheating.”

Safety guidelines state that tents should not be erected within three metres of any power source including generators.

They should also have proper exits with emergency lights, tent poles to prevent them collapsing and lighting should not be mounted directly on the walls of tents.

“Cooking or storing of flammable materials in the tent should be avoided,” added Brigadier Showaiter.

He also said kitchen fires were a common occurrence in Ramadan, when large meals are often prepared, and stressed the importance of ensuring that children are supervised.

“Children should not be left alone in rooms or unattended in Ramadan tents,” he said.

“We annually deal with such accidents (kitchen fires) during Ramadan.

“We have also issued a guidebook in English and Arabic, which has several points and measures to be taken in case of fire.”

Meanwhile, Brigadier Showaiter revealed a national campaign had been launched to educate children about the dangers of illegal firecrackers and urge parents not to buy them.

Civil Defence teams have been working with the Education Ministry to send out the message in school.

Illustrated books highlighting the dangers of using firecrackers have also been distributed.

“We aim to advise parents not to purchase firecrackers for their children during Ramadan (which are available) despite a government ban,” said Brigadier Showaiter.

Firecrackers are on an official Interior Ministry list of prohibited items that also includes toy guns, wireless toy planes, signal jamming devices, cultured pearls and pornographic materials. - TradeArabia News Service