Fire safety measures to prevent disasters in housing societies

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On February 23^rd 2010 the Carlton Towers fire incident in Bengaluru shook the country. This also led to the formation of citizen-led think tank in fire safety called Beyond Carlton. The objective of the initiative was to move beyond the accident and spread awareness regarding the importance of fire safety among various stake holders in the housing society. Very recently, fire broke out on 17^th December in the basement of Tower C of Gaur City 1. To add to this the fire brigade also came 30 minutes late which led to a severe damage to several cars parked in the basement. This makes us ponder as to how safe are we in our homes and societies?

If we look at the broader statistics, as per National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) fire accidents caused 35 deaths daily. Around 56% deaths occur due to home fires. The data also revealed a very startling factor that most of the victims were mostly women. Cooking gas bursts or electrical short circuits are some of the reasons for fire breaking out in homes. Homes are increasingly becoming unsafe from fire safety perspective because of increase in inflammable items like upholstery, decorative material, electrical gadgets and LPG connections.

Since so many deaths occur because of a direct result of home fires, it is important for the homes and the housing societies to maintain fire safety measures in order to prevent such accidents. Following are some of the measures which housing societies can take proactively as fire safety measure

1)      A proper fire safety plan– The first and foremost thing that a housing society as well as home owners must do is to ensure that there is a proper plan in place in case some mishap happens. This helps in eliminating confusion and chaos at the time of accident and saves important time. Housing society members must know the exit routes, do’s & don’ts, fire extinguishers location and how to use them, etc. Mock drills must be carried out by the housing society members to ensure everyone is trained to face a situation like this. Keeping first aid handy is also very important and how the victims of fire can be helped. Lists of nearby hospitals with burn units must be clearly listed out.

2)      Unblocked Exit Routes– Not only are exit routes important but in order to ensure that they are used at the times of need, one should keep them unblocked at all times. Even if these exit points are not used daily still they must be easy to access. Clear demarcation and labelling of such Exit routes is important to avoid any kind of confusion.

3)      Placement of fire extinguishers– This is obvious but what is important is to place them where they are easily accessible. They should be in a working condition and also people must be trained how to use them. The number of fire extinguishers must be sufficient and in ratio to the number of floors and home units.

4)      Practising good daily habits–Prevention of fire accidents requires everyone to practices daily habits that help in preventing such incidents. For instance, using electrical products which are made using fire safety guidelines, proper maintenance of fire safety equipments, installation of fire safety alarms and ensuring that the everyday trash is properly disposed and not stacked on some place. Disposing cigarettes and lighting firecrackers must be done with utmost care and should be done away from combustible or inflammable areas.

5)      Awareness and training sessions– Members of housing committees must conduct training sessions and awareness drive from time to time so that people understand the gravity of the issue and also take safety of their loved ones seriously. This also helps in understanding potential problems that could come up when the real situation comes up. For instance, it will help in knowing the level of awareness people have with regards to fire safety exits and using fire extinguishers. Are they able to reach to it on time or is there any confusion in the same.

6)      Building fire rescue terraces– Several buildings especially the high rising ones these days make open terraces at different floors for the fire fighters to use and rescue people from the upper floors. This helps in the ease of fire fighting operations and ensures people are safely rescued from the top most floors.

7)      Compliance with fire safety measures set down by the governing bodies – It is important that all the fire safety measures are taken care of while constructing a township or a residential building. Good quality wires and electrical must be used which are fire resistant and don’t lead to any accidents. Proper inspection of the fire safety equipment storage must be made to ensure proper maintenance.

Thus, by taking proactive measure one can prevent such accidents and also reduce the damage if at all the fire breaks out. Many lives could be saved if only people take these measures seriously and also follow good practices at all times.

Green Clean India (www.greencleanindia.com) is an initiative to exhibit the collective power of Housing Societies, by providing a common platform across the country to interact and exchange thoughts that best suit community living. For details on how we can help you make lifestyle changes, do contact us at +919717938018 or write to us at wecare@greencleanindia.com