Burning question: When shall we wake up?

LUCKNOW: The fire tragedy at a Kumbakonam school in Tamil Nadu has once again brought the importance of fire safety into sharp focus.
Talking to TOI here, chief fire officer JK Singh said that around 50,000 people were occupying the twin tower in the US on the 9/11 terrorist attack. However, about 45,000 people were evacuated because of the requisite fire safety precautions and well-placed fire exits.
Regretting that most of the government and private buildings did not incorporate adequate fire protection measures in their lay-outs, he said as even fire officials, issuing the no objection certificate (NOC) to builders, were often unaware of these points, the NOC had almost been reduced to a formality.
He further said that Uttar Pradesh was the only state where the fire department came under the police department. This created a piquant situation as firemen preferred the more powerful policemen''s tag, Singh said adding that "lack of professionalism in providing fire safety services has crept into the department because of its attachment to the police."
The National Building Code of India (third amendment) categorically states that "it would be necessary for this purpose to associate qualified and trained fire protection engineers with the planning of the building so that adequate fire protection measures can be incorporated into its design right from the beginning." This, however, was not being practised, he added.
According to Singh, there were two reasons for the lack of qualified and professional staff and the apathy among builders, architects and development officials to undertake this exercise. The problem was exacerbated as there were no fire audits to assess the danger and the advice of fire experts was not sought. "Hence we have buildings like Sanjay Gandhi Post-Graduate Institute (SGPGI) where no proper fire protection measure has been taken," he added.
And it is not just buildings that are violating the fire norms. Markets like Aminabad also exemplify how even the basic requirements of fire safety are being flouted wilfully. There is hardly any gap between shops in Aminabad posing a serious fire threat.
In such a scenario ''fire brakes'' for bringing about discontinuity is a must. While there have been suggestions that a fire hydrant must be installed, Singh said that this would just serve as a short-term solution and would be ineffective in preventing a major fire mishap. Fire safety devices, insulation of the electrical network, keeping them away from inflammable goods like cloth, etc, and fire alarms are some of the precautions that should be followed by shopkeepers.