Lately, there has been a considerable rise in the number of fire mishaps reported across the city. These accidents are increasingly not only being reported in residential buildings, but also in medical establishments such as hospitals.
A great number of lives have been lost in such occurrences. Those in positions of power rush to the spot when such an incident occurs, however, days into the issue subsiding, the pertinent question prevails, what is the condition of fire safety in Mumbai.
Recently, in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) budget 2022-23 an amount was put aside for purchasing modern fire extinguishing materials and equipment. The civic authority has set plans into motion to address the loopholes in an over-burdened system.
These include constructing and repairing fire stations or procuring a highrise building fire fighting vehicle. Presently, the Mumbai fire brigade pumps can take water up to 70 meters and has a ladder which is 90 meters that can reach 30 floors. One that can reach 90 meters is with the Byculla unit and another, which can reach up to 81 meters, is in Borivali.
However, these seem to not be enough in solving the fire crisis in Mumbai that has been causing an upheaval. Amid rapid urbanization in the city, fire safety needs to be on the top of the chart. When a fire erupts, the buck is passed between authorities and several justifications are given for the horrific incident.
Jay Sheth Sr Manager - Safety & Quality Mumbai Metro One (MMOPL) during his conversation with Mumbai Live elaborated on how presently, as per NBC (National Building Code) 2016 Part 4 Annexure D-3 fire drills have to be conducted in accordance with the fire safety plan at least every three months for buildings during first two years.
Sheth added, “Thereafter fire drills shall be conducted at least once every six months. Written records of such drills shall be kept on-premises for a three-year period and shall be readily available for Fire Brigade Inspection.”
However, considering the rise in the number of such cases, the civic authority in consultation with the fire brigade must conduct fire and evacuation drills more frequently.
Sheth further brings to light that the national building code which is the basic model code in India on matters relating to building construction and fire safety was last updated and released in 2016. As a thumb rule, all standards and codes are reviewed and revised every five to seven years.
Considering the recent rise in the number of fire cases, the authorities could contemplate reducing the time period in revising the codes to ensure that they keep up with the changing circumstances.
Additionally, the civic body can even go a step ahead and reserve certain spaces for fire stations, fire lanes and parking spots.
Sheth concurs with this and remarks, “As per the development plan space for fire station are reserved as per the population in the zone boundary. Town planners should incorporate reserve zones in areas where it is applicable. Moreover, at an incident site, the fire brigade has the support of local law enforcement authorities who should ensure that parking support is available.”
On the other hand, taking into account the number of fire mishaps reported in slums, the BMC can curtail the incidence thereby ensuring combustible materials aren’t used for construction and adequate water infrastructure is offered.
To this Sheth uttered, “The use of non-combustive material in construction is already mentioned in the NBC and categorized in different groups. However, compliance needs to be checked by the MCGM during the construction phase and at regular intervals by the Mumbai Fire Brigade.”
Additionally, private investment can be encouraged in the sector to ensure there is never a dearth of services. Herein Sheth highlights the fact that this requires a strong will and policy change at the corporation and state level to include qualified freelance Fire Auditors for residential and commercial groups.
He said, “The Mumbai Fire Brigade is already burdened with compliance inspection. It will be a helping hand to them if a qualified person can do the compliance audit inspection and submit a report to them. They can then conduct a sample check among those audited to ensure safety standards are maintained.”
Apart from this, young minds need to be apprised about fire safety from a budding age and thus, it would be a trailblazing step to inculcate this in the school curriculum. Sheth agreed with this and mentioned, “Fire safety education should be part of the school curriculum as training and knowledge shared at an early stage will ensure lifelong safety awareness. Schools should also have fire drills once every six months.”
Interestingly, fire safety in schools has also been on the BMC’s radar for which a Jet-Cool Gel fire extinguisher is anticipated to be bought.
On the other hand, to combat the increasing number of fire incidents in Mumbai, the civic body is looking at constructing a Drill tower cum multi-utility training simulator. Apart from this, they are looking at procuring a fire drone, setting up a disaster recovery site for integrated command and control system.
The BMC is also hoping to buy quick response vehicles for Mini Fire stations and Municipal wards. Additionally, purchase of combined firefighting cum rescue vehicles with Hydraulic Platform and Turn Table Ladder, Fire Robots, electric vehicles and replacement of old and outdated vehicles is also on the cards.