HOW SHOULD THE BMC ENSURE THAT HOSPITALS ARE FIRE SAFETY COMPLIANT?

Thedeathof10newbornsrecentlyatageneralhospitalinBhandaraexposed proceduralandadministrativeapathytowardsfiresafetyandinfrastructure upgradation.Thetragedyhasbroughtfiresafetycomplianceofallhospitalsunder thescanner. TheCommissionerofHealthServicesonDecember21,2020,had askedallgovernmenthospitalstoconductafiresafetyauditonpriority. Subsequently,onJanuary9thisyear,theCommissioneraskedallhospitalsto strictlyfollowfiresafetyguidelines.Aftertheincident,asafetyauditofall governmenthospitalshasbeenannounced.FPJaskeditsreaders-`Whatsteps shouldthegovernmentandBMCtaketoensurethathospitalsarefiresafety compliant?’Here’swhatacross-sectionofMumbaikarshadtosay:

All hospitals should have necessary fire safety equipment. Regular checks every 6 months should be held by the hospital staff themselves. Every hospital should have a dedicated monitoring team which will keep a check on precautionary measures from time to time.

— Shweta Pawar, Andheri resident

I guess a fire audit is a must for all hospitals, be it a private one or government run. I think once a fire audit is done, it will become clearer where exactly we are lacking and need to improve to ensure safety to all hospital staff, patients etc. Thus, I think a fire safety audit is one of the main things we need to focus on.

— Sagar Taak, Chembur resident

Given the space constraints and road congestion in the city, it is necessary to use technologically advanced fire safety mechanisms to curb the outbreak of fire in hospitals. They should also regularly maintain fire appliances as per the existing rules.

— Madhavi Ayyappan, advocate

There should be a serious drive to check if all hospitals have fire safe protocols in place, and if not, stern action should be initiated against them. When heavy penalisation is brought into the picture, everybody will have to abide by the fire safety compliance norms. At least five fire extinguishers should be installed on every floor and mainly all the electrical wings of the hospitals should be checked rigorously, as many times, the fire begins there.

— Puja Patel, homemaker

To prevent fire accidents in hospitals, precautionary steps are necessary. The shift in-charge should check fire detection equipment installed at hospitals daily. Further, smoking should be strictly prohibited to reduce chances of fires. All electrical appliances, electrical wiring and smoke detectors should be regularly audited by an external agency for fire compliance. Electric Leakage Circuit Breakers (ELCB) must be installed at all electricity boards. Lastly, proper earthing is a must.

— Pramod Kadam, airport manager

Places like kitchens pose the maximum fire risk, so hospitals should make them well equipped to handle a fire. The first and foremost point to be considered is the location of the kitchen. It should be located in such a way that any fire incident inside the kitchen wouldn't impact other sections of the hospital. — Milind Bhagat, electrical engineer

I am of the view that we need to have random and constant checks in all public and private hospitals. Surprise visits by higher officials, followed by strict action against errant workers would yield some fruitful results. I say so because fire audits aren't done regularly. They are conducted only when some untoward incident takes place.

— Namrata Gadkari, Parel resident

I think there are already specific guidelines, particularly for hospitals, under the Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Act, 2006 and in the Act itself, fire safety audit has been made mandatory over a certain period. If the authorities follow the procedures and guidelines laid down, then that would be enough to avoid a repeat of the Bhandara incident.

— Ravindra N Ghantyal, property consultant

BMC should audit all the hospitals, be it government or private, for its fire preparedness and check if all the required fire-fighting equipment are present and are in working condition. The staff must know how to use the equipment to control a fire in the initial state. This audit should be carried out all six months. And the same should be updated online for public information. All these hospitals need to go through fire drills.

— Raghunath Salgaonkar, Andheri resident

BMC needs to conduct regular fire safety inspections at residential buildings and commercial infrastructure. Local offices of the fire brigade should conduct safety check-ups once a year in every building in their area and, in return, they should give a certificate valid for a particular period. The municipal corporation and fire departments need to keep a record of the last conducted inspection. Management bodies of the buildings should be given deadlines to obtain fire safety certificates from the department. If they miss that, the corporation should impose heavy fines on them.

— Rakesh Singh, businessman

The state government and BMC should initiate surprise inspections to check if hospitals are following fire safety norms. These inspections should be random but regular. Also, the authorities should charge a hefty fine if hospitals fail to adhere to fire safety norms. In addition, the BMC should initiate training programmes for civic hospitals on fire safety, to create awareness on its importance.

— La tika Mishra, graphic designer