Ensuring fire safety is our responsibility too

A staffer at Hotel Sheela said they are working after fulfilling the compliance requirements

Most restaurants and eateries we visit are tinderboxes, but we are seemingly unaware of it until a tragedy happens and we gasp at how we were ‘fortunate' to not be there when it happened. A report in this paper points to exactly this.

Two eateries in Malad were found by the fire department to be flouting safety norms, posing a threat to not just themselves and their patrons but also to the industrial estate they are operating next to.

Our memories seem woefully short when it comes to fire accidents. It has been just over five years since the fire at the City Kinara restaurant in Kurla killed eight people, most of whom were students. And, just over three years since the devastating blaze at a posh restaurant in Kamala Mills claimed 14 lives.

In the first instance, an illegal gas cylinder exploded and ignited every inflammable substance placed in its vicinity, leaving those inside the eatery with no way of escaping. Most patrons at such tiny eateries are broke students. But, what about the high-end restaurant at Kamala Mills - 1 Above and Mojo's Bistro?

All restaurants crave patronage, especially in these COVID times, yet none of us bothers to demand to see their fire safety certificates. To ensure that escape routes are unhindered and fire extinguishers are within view and in working condition. It is not just the government's business to monitor safety measures at restaurants, eateries and cinema halls. Every time we step into one of these, it is our lives at stake. Blaming the government after lives are lost is meaningless because the authorities cannot be relied on to be consistent.

So, let's remember to ask for fire compliance certificates and check out all safety measures the next time we visit a restaurant. Being considered foolish or a show-off for asking is better than being dead or maimed.