Does anyone have any info about fire drills regulations and smoke alarms for care homes in brazil?

Question

We are working for a charity in Belo Horizonte in Brazil that looks after children and there doesnt appear to be any smoke alarms or fire drills or any known info regarding this type of thing, does any one know anything that would be of help or a website that we can look at that will have the info.

Answer 1

I do not have the answer, but here are a few ideas to point you in the right direction.

1. SIMILAR CHARITIES
(a) A charity that I have supported in the past, UK-based Task Brasil (http://www.taskbrasil.org.uk/) , has homes for children in Rio de Janeiro. It should be able to advise, because it must have come across this. Its founder, Ligia Ferreira da Silva, is an exceptionally helpful person.

(b) Other charities with children's homes in Brazil (apologies if one of them is yours!):-
(i) The ABC Trust
(http://www.abctrust.org.uk/)
(ii) Voice for Change
(http://www.voiceforchange.org/)
(iii) SOS Children's Villages
(http://www.soschildrensvillages.org.uk/sponsor-a-child/americas-child-sponsorship/brazil.htm)

2. FIRE BRIGADE
The state's fire brigade, o Corpo de Bombeiros Militar de Minas Gerais (http://www.bombeiros.mg.gov.br/) should be able to advise you about current fire safety regulations.

3. REGIONAL & LOCAL GOVERNMENT
It is possible that local authority has some responsibility for fire safety. In the UK, whilst the new fire authorities carry out fire safety inspections, local authorities still have responsibility for means of escape from fire for homes in multiple occupancy. You should make enquiries with the state government, o Governo do Estado de Minas Gerais (http://www.mg.gov.br/) or the municipal council, Câmara Municipal de Belo Horizonte (http://www.cmbh.mg.gov.br/) .

I hope this proves useful, and I wish you well with your work.