Fire hazards have become a common feature in urban areas with the demand for more high-rise buildings, emphasis on maximum utilisation of space, and consequent reduction in setback areas. With the rapid migration to cities from rural areas and the urban population touching about 45%, the pressure on urban space has exploded to unimaginable levels. This has led to massive commercialisation relegating fire safety to a low priority. Therefore, when a fire breaks out, it has massive human and economic costs. During the pandemic, we saw several hospitals, on account of the high demand for admission of patients and the consequent pressure on facilities, there were several cases of fire incidents reported across the country. Repeatedly, questions were raised on the inability of the Fire Department to regulate, prevent, and controlsuch hazards.
During the Carlton House Fire tragedy in Bengaluru on February 23, 2010, 72 were injured, three persons jumped off the building and lost their lives, and six others succumbed to burns. This was an eye-opener for us. In response to a PIL filed in 2011, the Hon’ble High Court made it mandatory for the Fire Department to issue a No Objection Certificate (NOC) every two years to all residential/commercial buildings. The Court further ruled that BBMP Building Bye-Laws and Revised Master Plan must meet safety standards as prescribed in the National Building Code (NBC). The Fire Department should inspect buildings routinely, impose penalties and suspend services in case of noncompliance. The immediate response of the State Government was to launch the KSAFE project spreadover five years with an increased financial allocation of Rs 323.30 Crores to strengthen and improve the infrastructure of the Fire Department. It led to installations of fire stations in urban/peri-urban/rural areas, thereby reducing the response time; acquisition of modern equipment/fire tender, including the aerial ladder for high rise buildings, and skill upgradation/capacity building of the fire personnel. Thus, the government made a conscious effort in the aftermath of the tragedy to improve the efficacy of the Fire and Emergency Services in Karnataka.
The National Building Code (NBC) of India is a comprehensive Building Code providing guidelines for regulating building construction activities. It serves as a model code for adoption by all agencies involved in building construction works, which inter alia, includes demarcation of fire zones, restrictions on the construction of buildings in each fire zone, classification of buildings based on occupancy, and types of building constructions according to fire resistance.
NBC broadly covers Fire Prevention, Life Safety, and Fire Protection. Fire Prevention covers the design and construction of buildings. Life Safety addresses construction and occupancy feature necessary to minimise danger to life from fire, smoke, fumes, or panic. Fire Protection are guidelines for selecting the correct type of equipment and installations meant for fire protection of the building depending on classifications and types.
NBC have guidelines for fire drills and evacuations for high rise buildings. Based on occupancy, use and height, all buildings must be equipped with fire extinguishers, wet risers, automatic sprinklers installations, water sprays, etc. NBC regulations can be enacted or adopted by the Municipal administration and public/private bodies. It lays down a set of minimum provisions designed to protect public safety regarding fire hazards. The adoption and subsequent implementation of the NBC by the Karnataka Fire and
Emergency Services have been immediate and wholesome. A robust, vibrant system including standardised protocol has been evolved over some time for giving fire clearances online, avoiding unnecessary delays and bottlenecks.
A fire license is required to be issued in a time-bound manner to commercial/residential/public buildings over 15 meters in height to carry out business and trading activities as listed in the Karnataka Emergency and Fire Service Rules 1971, adhering strictly to the NBC guidelines. This also includes giving fire clearance to educational institutions based on structural fire safety criteria specified in the NBC. Such a certificate needs to be renewed every five years. Institutions are allowed to function only if they possess a No Objection Certificate (NOC), Compliance Certificate (CC) and Advisory Certificate from the Fire Department. These require a renewal every two years.
Despite a standard protocol of fire safety in place, there is a need for better coordination between officials from the departments of Town Planning, Municipal Administration, Rural Development, Accounts & Treasury, and Forest. Although the KSAFE programme contributed significantly to strengthening the fire infrastructure in urban/rural areas, the programme needs to be continued with increased financial allocation to further upgrade fire stations in mobility, skill, and equipment which can
significantly reduce the response time and minimise the collateral damages in an event of Fire incidents.
The Karnataka Fire Services Act – 1964, Karnataka Fire Service Rules – 1971, and Karnataka Fire Manual – 1979, need revision in light of the NBC guidelines and the experience gained over the last few decades. The additional responsibilities of implementing rules concerning fire safety, empanelment of agencies to conduct fire audits, centralised filing of fire audit reports of buildings/industries and creating awareness on fire safety including compulsory fire insurance for certain types of buildings need to be taken up urgently.
High-rise buildings developed before NBC 2016, pproximately about 10,000 in Bengaluru city, need to mandatorily obtain a Fire Compliance Certificate by installing fire safety measures within their premises. These buildings do not have NOC/CC and, therefore, cannot implement external fire safety guidelines. They must be mandated to install internal fire safety mechanisms like a greater number of fire extinguishers, smokescreens in staircases and water curtains in basements. Another concern is the minimum setback space that should be six meters to be kept around the building for manoeuvring fire tenders during an emergency. Several apartments have violated these norms deliberately, often using these spaces for other purposes. These violations should be stopped since they hamper firefighting operations.
Finally, the most important aspect of these efforts and interventions is creating public awareness about fire hazards. This requires community support. Experiences from recent years have shown that awareness has led to a significant decline in fire incidents and a reduction in concomitant losses in terms of life and property. The community plays a decisive role as a first responder in minimising the damage – from immediate evacuation to creating sterile zones to prevent the spread of fire. It is incumbent on the Fire Department to take this responsibility as a challenge and ensure the participation of citizens in fire drill exercises at regular intervals through the involvement of schools, colleges, resident welfare associations and housing societies, etc. Similar efforts are required in semiurban and rural areas also.