Fire department determined to bring in foolproof system in Kozhikode
Notices issued to several buildings that have defunct fire fighting system, 60% found to evade norms
Kozhikode: The Fire and Rescue Services department has issued notices to several buildings in Kozhikode following a fire audit.
The officials have found that over 60 percent of the buildings do not have adequate fire fighting systems in place or the existing ones are defunct. The department has checked over 100 buildings in the city.
“More than half of them have defunct fire fighting systems. We found that these buildings do not have proper fire exits or that fire exits are blocked with stairways, pumps are not working, fire alarms are defunct or there is no water to fight fire,” Mr Arun Bhasker, assistant divisional officer, Fire and Rescue, Kozhikode, told Deccan Chronicle.
Most of these building owners do not maintain the fire fighting equipment and are dismissive about the importance of such a system. “We have served notices to them and some of them are getting the system repaired. In some cases, we direct the corporation to take appropriate action,” he added.
Though the department has been issuing notices to these buildings, most of the owners are not bothered to even reply. Legally, the department has no authority to take action against the errant building owners directly and it has to wait for either the corporation or the district administration to act.
“Another issue is that some of the buildings are very old and do not have any fire fighting systems. Even if the owners are willing to have one installed, the buildings have no facility to accommodate it,” Mr Arun Bhasker added.
The district collector had also issued notices to buildings under the provisions of Disaster Management Act 2005, which can be applied to prosecute the errant building owners.