Parents confident of safety at Dubai nursery school

Parents at a nursery school in a Dubai mall speak of their sadness at the Doha tragedy but say they are confident of fire-safety measures to protect their own children.

Monica Temple with her children Trinity, 6, left, and Tristan, 3, outside the Crystal Valley Nursery at the Arabian Centre, Dubai.

DUBAI// Parents at a nursery school in a Dubai mall spoke of their sadness at the Doha tragedy, but were confident of fire-safety measures to protect their own children.

"It was a very sad story that happened in Doha and I really feel for the people who lost loved ones there," said Monica Temple, a South African mother of two, who has a three-year-old son at the Crystal Valley Day Care Centre at Arabian Centre in Mirdif.

"From the layout of the nursery here, there are clear exits so in that respect I think it would be easy for the children to leave safely."

She did not know how often fire drills took place.

The nursery is attached to the Arabian Centre but has its own entrances and exits.

Tracey Galloway, from the UK, who plans to send her two-year-old son to the nursery, said she was more conscious of fire safety after the deaths in Doha.

"Having two children you have to be constantly on your toes and I think in general there isn't enough information about fire safety in malls," she said.

"I think from my point of view if you can see the exits and know where to go when there is a fire then I feel a lot safer."

Bernadette King-Turner, the founder of Crystal Valley Nursery, said fire drills were conducted every term.

"We make sure our hallways, entries and exits are wide enough to allow for easy access," she said.

Staff at the nursery also received training by Civil Defence and the centre strictly followed the regulations from the authority.