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Are fire safety norms in place?
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The authorities are concerned about the state of fire fighting equipments installed in buildings, writes L. Srikrishna
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A few months ago, a young woman in K.K. Nagar came in contact with a live electric wire in her bathroom. Within a few seconds she died. When her husband attempted to save her he too met the same fate. The couple’s daughter who was left alone could not trace her parents and telephoned her grandfather, who came rushing to the apartment and found his daughter and son-in-law dead in the bathroom.
Investigations by the fire and police personnel suggested that a possible electrical short circuit and excess load in the apartment had resulted in the instant death of the young couple.
In yet another incident in North Chennai, a 14-year-old boy and two other workers were trapped in a fire accident when they were working in the footwear shop housed in a multi-storeyed building. According to fire fighters, the three rushed to the sixth floor of the building in order to escape and were rescued by firemen from the adjacent building. There was no infrastructure available within the fire damaged building for any kind of rescue, they claimed.
Similarly, when a fire broke out in a private industry in Ambattur Industrial Estate, fire tenders were rushed from far and near. But, officers were shocked to learn that there was very little water stored in the tank within the building. Enquiries revealed that the labourers had used the water for some other purpose.
According to senior officers in the Fire and Rescue Services Department, most old buildings irrespective of whether they were high rise or not, had made but little provisions to bank on during emergencies. Be it a commercial mall or a residential apartment, the user public and inmates were at risk, officials added.
What is causing concern and raising doubts among authorities regarding new buildings are whether fire fighting equipments are installed properly and ready to use? How many people using the multi-storeyed buildings are aware of procedures to be followed in case of emergencies?
Equipment maintenance
Many high rise residential and commercial complexes in the city have safety provisions laid out by the fire and rescue services department. But, what is baffling officers is the lack of maintenance of these safety equipments by the users. Instead of waiting for authorities to take stringent action, the public or end users should rise to the occasion, in their own interest, and ensure that the fire fighting equipments are ready for use, the officers opined.
There are also many multi-storeyed buildings in Chennai which violate fire safety norms and do not provide for enough side open spaces and access for fire fighting equipments.
Whether these unauthorised buildings have made up for their lack of fire safety by installing upgraded systems or whether they are still prone to fire accidents remains to be investigated.
Speaking to The Hindu Property Plus, Tamil Nadu Fire And Rescue Services Director K.R. Shyam Sundar said many new multi-storeyed structures that are coming up in and around the metropolis have fire fighting equipments. The Government has been conducting mock drills, training programmes and awareness camps for the public. Right from slum dwellers to industrial workers and major business houses, the dos and don’ts in an emergency have been disseminated by experts. A proactive approach and self-discipline by the public would ensure safety to a large extent in a city which is populated by more than six million people, he added.
A few days ago, when a fire was reported in the eighth floor of a high rise building near Anna Flyover, the public were evacuated from the premises safely. When thick smoke came out of two switch box units, fire tenders were immediately rushed to the spot. The personnel found that water was adequately stored in the tank, with which they were able to control the fire immediately from spreading further.
Similarly, a fire officer at Tiruvottiyur said that a caller who informed about a fire accident narrated swiftly the location and other finer details. Assessing the density, the number of fire tenders could be moved from different stations instantly, he recalled.
In 2007, the fire fighters had saved close to Rs. 200 crore worth properties (State level figures) and also rescued as many as 6,821 people. This reveals to what extent a fire-ready situation can help. Though the general observation of fire fighters who attend emergency calls in the city is not alarming, they feel that a step towards safety would be welcome. They also feel good construction practices and complying with building quality would aid their efforts in fighting fire.
Precautions
Dos
• Overloading could cause a fire. To prevent it a well-planned
circuit should be designed taking into account the type of location
the points require, the operating conditions of electrical
appliances and the planning of points for future needs. Each circuit
should have minimum load to ensure safety.
• High-powered appliances, such as geysers and air-conditioners,
should run separately on an independent circuit with a separate
neutral board from the main board. This helps reduce voltage
fluctuations when these appliances are switched on.
• Faulty electrical appliances should be repaired or replaced
•Welding should be done under supervision
• Keep escape routes free from obstructions
•Impart elementary fire fighting training to occupants
• Ground all lifts, including the fire lift, in case of fire
• Summon the fire brigade at the earliest
• Give precise directions to the site and about the extent of fire
• Give details about trapped persons
• Smoke only in ‘smoking’ zones
• Escape first, then call for help
• Develop a home for fire escape plan.
• Ensure that users in the building are aware of the escape routes
• Never stand up in a fire. Always crawl low under the smoke
• Never go back into a burning area
• Teach children not to hide in bathrooms
• Never connect generators to another power source
Don’ts
• Don’t allow encroachments or things to be stored in the
courtyards. Open courtyards are required for placing and operating
fire and rescue appliances in case of emergency
• Don’t use common corridors and staircases to store things or
allow any other obstruction. These exit routes, if kept clear, will
facilitate escape in case of fire
• Don’t allow fire to exit doors of staircases. It will prevent people
from escaping
• Don’t use the lift in case of fire. They could fail midway and trap
people inside. Use the staircase
• Don’t dispose of lighted cigarette ends carelessly
• Don’t plug too many electrical appliances into one socket
• Don’t paint fire detectors or sprinkler heads
• Don’t park your vehicles so that they obstruct the access for fire
tenders
• Don’t tamper with fire fighting equipments
• Don’t crowd fire accident spots as this could hamper rescue
operations
• Don’t block access to water tanks
• Don’t panic
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Property Plus
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Thiruvananthapuram
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