New Delhi: This past weekend, several incidents of fire have resulted in loss of life and property. In Gujarat’s Rajkot Saturday, over 30 people lost their lives, while in Delhi, a fire at a neonatal care hospital led to the death of at least six infants. Despite the frequent occurrence of such fire accidents, eight out of 10 Indians acknowledge that their homes and workplaces do not adhere to fire safety standards, a LocalCircles survey, released Sunday, has found.
Merely 18 percent of respondents claim that the fire safety equipment in their homes is checked annually, while only 27 percent report the same for their workplaces. Many attribute this lack of compliance to a “cumbersome or corrupt” certification process, leading to risks for citizens as establishments often avoid obtaining fire certification.
27 percent claimed that compliance to fire safety was never done at their home.
The recent incidents underscore the urgent need for reforms in fire safety regulations. Such incidents occur frequently across various settings including residential societies, hospitals, shopping complexes, and offices, the survey states.
LocalCircles conducted a national survey with over 22,000 responses from individuals residing in 301 districts of India — 62 percent of respondents were men, 38 percent were women; 46 percent from tier 1 cities, 32 percent from tier 2, and the remaining 22 percent from tier 3 and tier 4 cities and rural districts.
The majority acknowledged various degrees of non-compliance, indicating a widespread neglect of fire safety measures. This neglect is compounded by inefficient and corrupt certification processes, particularly within urban municipalities, where fire responsiveness is often slow and certification is marred by bribery.
Business owners commonly resort to intermediaries or bribery to expedite certification processes, compromising safety standards.
The findings highlight the urgent need for governmental intervention to establish a nationwide fire safety mission akin to the Swachh Bharat initiative.
Such an initiative would necessitate adequate funding for urban fire departments, a streamlined certification process, and mandatory training for residents and employees.
Also read: Lapsed licence, no fire exit & oxygen refilling — why Delhi hospital fire was disaster-in-waiting