Woeful lack of firefighting infrastructure

Two major fire incidents have smudged the nation’s copybook since the dawn of the New Year. Five workers perished in a fire that engulfed the Serum Institute of India (SII) in Pune on Jan 21. The economic losses in this frontline vaccine-producing facility against the pandemic are estimated to be around Rs 1,000 crore. Prior to this, on Jan 9, nine newborns died in a fire that broke out in the neo-natal ward of a hospital in Bhandara town in Maharashtra.

Human casualty is higher when fires burn hotels, hostels, hospitals, school, old age homes, and theatres where people from diverse background share the space for a short time and coordinated rescue operations pose difficulties. Hospitals are particularly prone to fire as conduits for the supply of oxygen and other gases of hazardous run through walls and roofs. Fatalities are generally high as patients with varying degree of mobility (or lack of it) have to depend on rescuers.

Six major fire incidents were reported last year (2020) from across the country involving human casualties. These were: A fire in a battery factory in Delhi on Jan 03. A fireman died. Another one in Nandan Textile Factory, Ahmedabad where seven workers died on Feb 8. A fire in an apartment in Gwalior where seven residents died on March 1. One in Visakha Solvents factory, Vishakhapatnam one died on July 16. A fire in Shreya Hospital for Covid patients, Ahmedabad caused the death of eight patients on Aug 7. Another one in a temporary Covid-care facility in Vijayawada 10 patients died on Aug 1.

However, there were several other major fires that made headlines across the nation and caused massive loss of assets and good, but involved no casualties.

The also includes fires that were caused following blasts—in mines, factories and oil wells—which were aplenty. In many such cases, leak of poisonous gases from industrial units spewed death and diseases on people unrelated to the site of the inferno.

The risk of fire is growing with expanding cities, the rise of skyscrapers and growth of slums. Besides the loss of lives, goods and properties, fires in urban areas wreak havoc with city infrastructure, causing disruption of traffic and civic amenities for even those who are not directly affected by the fire. They may even afflict harm to the pulmonary health of the residents in adjoining areas. As fire incidents grow in public spaces, all that one hears by way of official response is that a judicial probe is ordered and that no one responsible for negligence will go unpunished. Public memory being proverbially short, such probes are hardly pursued and there rests the matter.

Experts attribute electrical short-circuits, the burst of gas cylinders or stoves, human negligence and tendency to be careless while discarding cigarette butts, firing crackers, storing flammable material and in the maintenance of fire safety apparatus, if any. Flagrant violation of fire safety regulations of the National Building Code in matters of construction and maintenance are responsible for human losses in most cases. Majority of buildings add more floors than authorised plans specify. Fire safety norms even recommend periodical monitoring of fire safety apparatus, the inspection of emergency exits, hydrants and drills for occupants for the evacuation of buildings. There is a callous disregard for all these, not merely in residential buildings, but even in matters of key facilities like hotels, hostels, hospitals and shopping malls. In case of large apartments, users feel no qualms in dumping junk at emergency exits. Rescue work is hindered by streets cluttered by parked vehicles and encroachments.

Urban firefighting infrastructure has not kept pace with the growth of high-rise living in our cities. For instance, while urban skyscrapers in cities like Mumbai are surpassing 50 floors, the pumps of the fire brigade hoses can barely push water beyond 30 floors. According to Home Ministry replies to a question in the Parliament in 2015, the nation had 2,087 fire stations against the requirement of 8,600; the gap between required fire fighting personnel and the ones available was 559,000; and, the fire fighting infrastructure was short of 9,337 firefighting vehicles than required. The figures pertain to the year 2012.

Safe public spaces and buildings call for effective and efficient facility management in commercial buildings and constant monitoring and maintenance of fire-fighting equipment and heightened awareness among occupants of especially large residential buildings.