Fire safety: govt. offices, courts to come under scanner

Fire department to hold safety audit

Ernakulam division has been asked to complete audit in 30 days.

Fire safety preparedness in government offices and courts in Ernakulam will come under the scanner as part of a month-long safety audit to be carried out by the Department of Fire and Rescue Services from next week.

The Commandant General of the State Fire and Rescue Services has asked the Ernakulam division of the department to complete the audit in 30 days. The move comes amidst preliminary findings that majority of government offices in the district failed to comply with the fire safety norms.

The Hindu has learnt that there are concerns about the adequacy of adherence to fire safety norms at even the District Collectorate office in Kakkanad. Hundreds visit various offices at the Collectorate building daily.

Most of the government office buildings were found to be not having adequate underground storage tanks earmarked for fire protection. These offices lacked automatic alarm system or even a fire sprinkler system — an active fire protection measure — to tackle an emergency. Fire and smoke alarms in many hospitals were not functioning properly.

The fire escape routes and emergency exits in a majority of the buildings have not been marked properly. Preliminary inspections made by the department officials also revealed that majority of the government offices lacked hydrant lines and booster pumps for adequate water pressure in fire hoses. Many government offices have just a fire extinguisher to deal with a crisis. The smoke suction device was also lacking in several government offices.

The Fire and Rescue Services department will issue notices to the erring offices based on the findings of the safety audit. The government offices will have to implement the fire safety measures within a stipulated time period.