Berhampur buildings low on fire safety features

Basic norms as per National Building Code 2005 not adhered to in many structures

Although the city is witnessing a construction boom in the form of high-rise apartments and other buildings, it is alleged that none of the buildings is adhering to basic fire safety norms.

Fire and rescue officials of Berhampur have doubts about the safety of the high-rise buildings. As per norms all multi-storied apartments have to get their fire safety arrangements checked every year by officials and obtain no-objection certificates. But none of the multi storied apartments in Berhampur has opted for such checks nor do they apply for no-objection certificates from local fire office, said Deputy Fire Officer S.P.Behera.

The Fire department had brought this grave issue to the notice of the Berhampur Development Authority (BDA) with the complaint that most of the builders of high-rise buildings were not contacting the department for maintenance of fire safety aspects

According to Mr Behera, officials of Berhampur on their own reviewed the fire safety measures in some of the high-rise apartments. They had found that the basic norms of fire safety according to National Building Code 2005 were not being adhered to. In many cases, apartments have no space for vehicles of fire brigade to move around. In Berhampur, the Fire department is yet to get large mechanical ladders that are used in fire fighting.

Officials allege fire extinguishers were not in proper condition and fear they may not work in case of a fire. Flow of water through pipes was not being checked regularly. The pipes may not work as heat may reach inner rubber lining of pipes. It was also found that the hydrant point motor of the fire safety system of the building was not in running condition. As per the norms, each high-rise building should have a storage facility of 10,000 gallons of water, especially for fire safety, which is ignored in most high-rise apartments.

The officials are also critical of the state of fire escapes in these buildings. They allege that even some buildings do not have any fire escape facility.

As per norms any building higher than 15 meters should have fire extinguishers, a hose reel, automatic sprinklers, a special terrace tank exclusively for fire safety, underground static tank for water storage etc. Storage of water and space for entry of fire brigade vehicles is a must as in urban areas. Source: The Hindu