Hospitals in the State find themselves under close scrutiny. Close on the heels of the fire tragedy that claimed 20 lives in a hospital in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha, the Fire and Emergency Services Department has ordered a fire audit of all hospitals in Karnataka.
Over the next one week, fire officers will inspect all in-patient hospitals in the State, irrespective of the height of the building. All hospitals will be checked for compliance with fire safety measures.
M.N. Reddi, Director General of Police, Fire and Emergency Services said fire officers in the nearly 200 fire stations in the State have been instructed to submit audit reports by next week. Hospital managements have been asked to check for compliance with the National Building Code norms for fire preparedness.
Several hospital staff admitted that while fire safety infrastructure, such as extinguishers, exists, there is a question mark over maintenance and upgrading equipment.
“In government hospitals, especially due to the large number of patients which is usually not proportionate with the manpower available, maintaining equipment is a tough ask, let alone conducting mock drills or training the staff in fire safety,” said an official from the administration wing of a government hospital in the city.
Officials hope to identify such problems through the fire audit. “There is always a large number of people in hospitals, many of them incapacitated and unable to take care of themselves. The intensive care units have a lot of electric equipment making them predisposed to accidents,” said Uday Vijayan, Managing Trustee and President of fire advocacy group Beyond Carlton.
Gopal Devanahalli, another member of Beyond Carlton, says, “One goes to a hospital with a lot on the mind already – about the illness and the treatment, the financial obligations, and planning for the post-discharge scenario. The last thing a patient or the family members have on their minds is fire safety. One expects a public space, especially a hospital, to be fire-proof. Even if a fire accident happens, one expects processes to be in place to evacuate the patients and their family members to safety.”
What the Fire Department will look for
Fire safety equipment
Extinguishers
Electric fire alarm system
Yard hydrants
Fire safety infrastructure
What Beyond Carlton advocates
Review the current process on fire safety
Train hospital staff on fire safety
Conduct periodic mock drills
Create mechanism to instruct patients and visitors on fire evacuation
