Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Ensuring safety

The suggestions regarding safety measures, in the context of the devastating fire in Burrabazar, (Letters, Jan. 15) were valuable. As secretary of the committee that prepared the National Building Code — the 1970 and 1983 versions — I would like to add the following:

The NBC recommends storage of water within the premises to allow fire tenders to fight fire for at least 15 minutes before other sources of water are made available. It is also necessary to have fire hydrants or in-house water storage so that fire tenders can draw more water from them. Evidently, no such facilities were available in Burrabazar.

The NBC recommends that frequent increases in fire load as a result of change of occupancy be vetted every time by the fire services to upgrade the fire resistance rating of the building and its components. It also insists on free uncluttered access to buildings, clear staircases of adequate width, no blocking of doors and windows, etc., under the broad title of means of access and exit.

D. Ajitha Simha,

Bangalore

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