By Stacy-Ann Balfour
... In the Caribbean, there is a lack of fire safety codes or fire prevention codes that specifically address the issue of fire prevention in different types of buildings. Instead, fire safety issues are usually addressed within general building codes, which may not allow for thorough management of fire prevention issues. Moreover, these building codes are largely based on prescriptive international codes... The importance of building codes in Caribbean countries has already been established. This fact is reflected in the creation of the Caribbean Uniform Building Code (CUBiC), as well as in efforts by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Regional Organization for Standards and Quality (CROSQ) to develop revised Regional Building Standards and to encourage CARICOM member states to develop or revise their own building codes (Preparation of Revised Building Standards 2009). Unfortunately, codes that emphasize fire prevention goals are significantly less prominent, and many of the building codes that include fire prevention issues are yet to become legal...