FIRE ERUPTS IN INDIA WHERE IS LACKING

 FIRE ERUPTS IN INDIA WHERE IS LACKING

Over the past year, there have been deadly fires in various type of buildings, according to the latest Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India (ADSI) Report, released by the National Crimes Records Bureau (NCRB), as many as 7,435 people were killed in over 7,500 fire accidents in 2022.

As many as 101 people died in a total of 106 incidents of electrical short circuits across Uttar Pradesh in the year 2022, according to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). This included a total of 83 men and 18 women while five people were injured in similar incidents including four men and a woman. Women are more safer in all aspect in this India.

Leading Cause:

Electrical faults are cited as the leading cause of fires but State governments are widely criticised for being lax with building safety laws and for failing to equip public buildings with modern technology.

Hospital ICUs (intensive care units) are a great fire risk because they are oxygen-suffused, and need to meet high standards.

Provisions in India Related to Fire Safety:

Constitutional Provision:

The Fire Services is a State subject and has been included as a Municipal function in the XII-th Schedule of the Constitution of India under Article 243 (W).

The National Building Code (NBC) of India, 2016:

Part 4 of the NBC is titled 'Fire and Life Safety'.

NBC, published by the Bureau of Indian Standards, is a “recommendatory document”, and States have been asked to incorporate it into their local building bylaws, making the recommendations a mandatory requirement.

All existing and new buildings are classified by nature of use, such as residential, educational, institutional, assembly (like cinemas and auditoria), business, mercantile, industrial, storage and hazardous.

The code broadly covers the following areas:

Fire Prevention: This covers aspects of fire prevention pertaining to the design and construction of buildings. It also describes the various types of buildings materials and their fire rating.

Life Safety: This covers life safety provisions in the event of fire and similar emergencies, also addressing construction and occupancy features that are necessary to minimise danger to life from fire, smoke, fumes or panic.

The Model Building Bye Laws, 2016:

The Ministry of Urban Development has devised a circular called “Model Building By Laws 2016” which states the regulatory mechanism and engineering parameters to keep in mind before starting any construction project in India.

Point-specific responsibility for all fire-related clearance rests with the Chief Fire Officer.

The concerned Development Authority shall refer the building plans to the Chief Fire Officer for obtaining clearance in respect of buildings.

Guidelines by National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA):

It has also stipulated requirements for fire safety in public buildings, including hospitals, which incorporate elements of the NBC, besides design guidelines on maintaining minimum open safety space, protected exit mechanisms, dedicated staircases, and crucial drills to carry out evacuations.

The Central Government has also circulated ‘Model Bill on Maintenance of Fire & Emergency Services 2019'.

Although in December 2020, the Supreme Court directed all States to carry out fire safety audits of dedicated Covid-19 hospitals, it has become evident that State forces lack the manpower to inspect and ensure compliance with safety codes, including the NBC, where it is mandatory.

Therefore one option is to make heavy fire liability insurance compulsory for all public buildings, which would offer protection to occupants and visitors and bring about external inspection of safety.

Still incident happens. In the month of May 2024, three trajik incident happened in various city of India.

1. Rajkot Gaming Zone Fire (29 Dead including 09 children)

- Possible Causes: Inadequate fire exits, Welding time selection faults.

Gujarat High Court has called this a “man made disaster” taking suo motu cognisance.

2. Dombivli Chemical Factory Blast (08 Killed, 60 Injured In Explosion)

- Possible Causes: Handling and storage of hazardous materials.

3. Neonatal hospital in Vivek Vihar, Delhi Child/Infant Care Hospital Fire (07 newborns died and 05 were injured)

- Possible Causes: Non-functional fire detection and suppression systems. Careless attitude of owners & authorities

Apart from Provisions in India related to Fire Safety public awareness is play very important role to reduces the fire incident. Fires are caused by human actions. People being aware of their responsibilities regarding fire safety is therefore of the utmost importance. You might be knowing Safety starts from Home or residential place. The role of education in fire safety in the residential environment is, thus, extremely important because, in the end, people make the difference. Technical fire safety is, of course, very important but it is people who have to safely use the equipment and products, who have to close fire doors, and who have to respond to a smoke detector in case of a fire breaking out, etc. The social dimension of fire safety is therefore not to be underestimated.

Fire hazards in the any occupancy environment cause deaths, (disabling) injuries and hospital visits that could have been avoided through behavioural and environmental modifications. Unfortunately, there is a lack of awareness about household safety practices and procedures. Many adults are not aware of how to minimise the fire risk in their leaving area, something which is reason enough to raise the awareness about occupancy safety hazards and to teach people fire safety techniques to prevent fires from breaking out. It is also crucial that people know how to react effectively in the stressful situation whenever a fire occurs, something which is essential for their survival.

Both water and electricity are essential to our lives. Conserving both leads to conservation of resources that we are rapidly running out of and that are non-renewable. Fire safety is same essential in a home/ building / workplace / commercial complex, loss of precious lives and damage to property & materials can be avoided by, Designing fire safe structures in line with mandatory safety regulations and relevant standards. Fire safety awareness training plays a crucial role in preparing individuals to prevent, respond to, and mitigate fire incidents effectively. It also equips participants with the knowledge, skills, and confidence necessary to handle fire emergencies. We need to increase public awareness through conduct regular workshops/road show and training sessions to educate local people about fire hazards, prevention, and response.

Another point, person in post of Fire Officer or safety officer having poor knowledge about Fire Fighting & Detection system. They Control Vendor in wrong way during PM service or on call service, Like vendor don’t have any knowledge. They also not interested to get knowledge.