WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR HOSPITAL FIRE?

The recent fires in Vijayawada and  Ahmedabad at hospitals for Covid-

19 patients have pointed to the lack of fire safety measures.

What are the codes for fire safety?

• The National Building Code of India published by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is the recommended document for all buildings across the country.

• The chapter on ‘Fire and Life Safety’ is

instrumental in the way the exits and staircases are laid out and electrical circuits and water tanks are mapped.

What do the rules say?

• An architect with her fire consultant provides the plans to the municipal body of the area for building approval.

• These plans will have fire strategies – from the number of exits and their type, occupants’ load, fire escape routes, staircases, width of passageways and corridors, water tanks and fire towers.

• The specifications are different for buildings, from hospitals and commercial spaces to cinemas and schools.

• In any building, there has to be a minimum of two staircases. If it’s an 18,000 sq m block for instance, in an institutional building, there has to be a fire door in the middle, besides the mandatory two staircases at two ends.

• In this space, if there are air-conditioning ducts passing through, these will have to have fire dampeners to block the smoke in case of a fire.

• Most importantly, the travel distance to the fire exit has to be kept in mind. The distance that the remotest person on the floor can reach a staircase is roughly 24 m.

• If fire exits are not naturally ventilated, they should have fire doors.

• The codes also have a say on the electrical distribution cables and wiring, which should have separate ducts sealed with non-combustible material, and should be separate from telephone wires or gas and water mains.

What are the hurdles in the way?

• Anything from cartons to mattresses, really. Often corridors are blocked, and become storage areas. Since fire staircases are used the least, for security reasons they are locked, and people get trapped inside.

• Besides, the enforcement of the building codes is not always adhered to, which happens often when floors are added illegally or inspections are circumvented.

Who should take the blame?

• While the onus for maintenance and upkeep of the building rests with the management, the contractors who supply the fire equipment – sprinklers, hose pipes, fire extinguishers – should also be held accountable for maintenance.

• Municipal bodies that give the final clearance should be held accountable for giving the NOC for any building. The architect/builder must also be questioned on the safety and validity of the building plan.