Meetings sans fire safety clearances

October 22, 2014 10:15 am | Updated May 23, 2016 06:46 pm IST - THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:

Though obtaining a non-objection certificate from the Fire and Rescue Services personnel before holding an event having a mass gathering is a mandatory requisite, the organisers of such events in the city often bypass the requirement, risking life of participants in case of any emergency situation.

As per the rule, the organisers of an event, be it an educational institution, a government department or private entity, should obtain a non-objection certificate from the Fire and Rescue Services Department to ensure that adequate fire safety measures and space for emergency rescue operations are in place. It is obligatory on the part of the city Corporation to verify whether the organiser had obtained the certificate from the fire service personnel before issuing permit to hold the event in a public place.

A senior official in the Fire and Rescue Services Department said it had come to their notice that this mandatory procedure was violated by many of the organisers in the city and the civic body often overlooked the requirement while giving permits to hold events in public places. The department had taken up the matter with the district administration, Education Department and city Corporation on several occasions. Recently it came to the notice of the department an event held in a private school at Pattom without obtaining fire safety certificate from the department. The school management had not obtained the certificate and a spot inspection revealed glaring lacunae in ensuring fire safety measures, the official said adding several such instances were reported in the city during the recent past.

“We reported this incident to the District Collector and Education Department,” he said. The Bureau of Indian Standards prescribes a host of steps to be followed while constructing a temporary shed for functions having a mass gathering. The agency recommends that a temporary shed be constructed only with non-inflammable materials, the shed should be in three metre height having exit points with 1.5-metre width, the exit area should be well illuminated, adequate space should be there in between each row and electrical wires should not be laid on the ground. “Only if the organiser intimates us we could ensure the venue is faultless,” the official said. An official said necessary instructions will be given to all concerned so that events are held after obtaining certificate from the Fire and Rescue Services Department.

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