mid-day editorial: Fire-fighting starts with awareness

Two recent fire incidents — one at a Cuffe Parade residential building which claimed the lives of two domestic servants, and another, at Sum Hospital in Bhubaneswar — have squarely brought the focus to our lack of awareness of fire safety norms

Two recent fire incidents — one at a Cuffe Parade residential building which claimed the lives of two domestic servants, and another, at Sum Hospital in Bhubaneswar — have squarely brought the focus to our lack of awareness of fire safety norms.

Despite all the lives lost and all the damage caused by fire in our country, our attitude continues to be, ‘Let’s leave it to destiny’ or even ‘We will tackle a crisis when it happens.’

In the Mumbai incident, the fire audit of the high-rise had not been done since the last two years. There may be several other buildings in this city where the safety audit isn’t done, and there is little or no fire safety gear. Some old structures are home to defunct fire-fighting equipment. Narrow lanes near some buildings add to the woes of firemen who struggle to reach the scene during emergencies. Also, too many buildings have obstruction in the stairwells, which prevent quick escape.

Indeed, the hazards are endless. But even if we can’t change the physical limitations of concrete structures, let us work on our attitude and try to become more aware about fire safety. Educate yourself and your near ones about the basics — never take the elevator while escaping a fire, cover your face with a wet cloth to prevent choking on smoke. Take up initiatives to fix fire-fighting equipment in your buildings.

Perhaps the Bhubaneswar incident is more tragic because a hospital sans a fire safety audit certificate spells doom. Strict action needs to be taken against the authorities for violating safety audits and putting so many lives at risk. Fines and punishment in case of non-compliance with fire norms need to be draconian in public domain and the focus should be on prevention rather than reaction. Let us fight fire with grit and will, across the country.

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