Mexico. The Mexican Association of Automatic Fire Sprinklers (AMRACI) promotes an initiative to develop a Mexican standard for the design and installation of automatic fire sprinkler systems in which they hope to establish a frame of reference with the minimum safety requirements in terms of prevention and suppression that is national, mandatory, broad, detailed, of general application and regulated by the competent authority.
As explained from the Association, although it is true that the Regulation of the General Law of Civil Protection was recently updated, it is necessary to strengthen the legal framework in terms of fire protection, since the lack of specific regulation for the prevention and protection of fires in the country has a lag of at least 35 years.
The delay in regulations has caused a gradual increase in the number of fire incidents of up to 10% per year, fires not only have a very important social impact due to the increase in victims but also have an impact on the continuity of operations, productivity and damage to the environment.
Faced with this scenario, AMRACI has urged the various trade union organizations to make a common front so that in an organized way they work to present to the Mexican authorities a proposal for regulation of human safety and fire protection, highlighting the elaboration of an Official Mexican Standard (NOM) of Automatic Fire Sprinklers.
In developed countries in Europe, as well as in the United States, the use of automatic fire sprinkler systems has reduced accidents by up to 69%, the number of deaths by 87%, the percentage of injured and the cost of material losses by up to 83%.
In Latin America it is believed that sprinkler systems are very expensive when in fact it is not representative when compared to the total cost of building a building.
"We therefore have before us the great opportunity to strengthen the legal framework in terms of fire prevention and protection, and adapt to the new reality of a developing and sustainable Mexico that enjoys security and thus avoid events to regret. Let's not wait until we have another tragedy like the ABC nursery or the Lobombo entertainment center, let's act now," concluded Mike MacDaniel, president of AMRACI.
