Experts call to follow fire safety norms

Visakhapatnam: Director General of State Disaster Response and Fire Services, Andhra Pradesh, N. Sambasiva Rao said schools, colleges and hospitals are big challenges for the Disaster Response and Fire Services wing since majority of educational institutions and hospitals are being housed in residential areas.

He inaugurated India Fire and Security Yatra-2014 organised by the Vizag Chapter of the Fire and Security Association of India (FSAI) here on Saturday. He said that many people have been filing petitions in the High Court as well in the Lokayukta questioning the rationality of such institutions. He said as part of directions from the HC, they had inspected a hospital building in Vijayawada recently and the court asked them to close down the facility basing on the report which stated the conditions. But, the hospital management has approached the High Court assuring that all necessary measures would be taken in a fortnight.

The director general further said that even the builders were evading complying with the safety and security norms. When the inspection team arrives at the building, the builders were keeping fire safety material readily available to obtain the NOC and later they shift the same material to another building.

Mr. Rao appealed to consider services of qualified fire and safety consultants for taking up regular inspections, as safety is paramount aspect of construction. Underscoring the need for placing extinguishers easily accessible to even children in educational institutions and also for patients in hospitals to avoid unforeseen incidents, he said.

Expenditure for setting up fire safety norms will be only five to ten percent of the total cost and one has to consider repercussions of major disasters. Director (Operations), Visakhapatnam Steel Plant D N Rao spoke on industrial safety. Vizag Chapter President of FSAI K Leela Prasad and others participated.