[ecis2016.org] With high-rises becoming the norm in cities, fire safety has become a crucial aspect. We look at some of the basic measures that need to be incorporated in buildings, to ensure the safety of residents
With skyscrapers increasingly coming up in most parts of India, a major question that is being asked by home buyers, is whether these high-rise buildings are safe. This is a natural concern, considering that several occurrences of fires and building collapses were witnessed, last year.
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“The major hazard in a tall residential tower, is that any fire can rapidly spread from one area to another, through elevator shafts, cavities of external walls, garbage chutes, storage areas or air-conditioning or extraction ducts,” says Vipul Shah, managing director, Parinee Group.
To counter this, modern high-rises tend to be designed with fire-resistant material, thereby, minimising the chances of the whole building catching fire. As buildings become taller, the fire brigade may not be able to douse flames on the 50th floor of a building in case of a fire, points out Aniket Haware, managing director of Haware Builders. “Consequently, systems like wet risers are used. This system comprises of pipes with pressurised water that is available at all times. A wet riser water tank supplies the water to each floor, in case of an emergency,” Haware explains.
Evacuation process in case of a hazard
It is crucial to implement and maintain stringent safety and precautionary measures, to safeguard lives in case of any hazard.
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“In emergency situations, there should always be one or more substitute escape routes in place, in case the main route gets engulfed by smoke, gas or heat. Utmost consideration should be given to allowing emergency services to access parts of the building, to combat the fire and/or evacuate the trapped inhabitants. Fire detection and alarm systems are vital for high-rise buildings, as compared to low-rise residential structures,” adds Shah. The moment a fire is identified, the alarm should be raised and the evacuation, will depend on common escape routes, which must be judiciously managed.
Safety measures for buildings
Fire safety must be implemented from the initial phase (i.e., design) through to construction and maintenance, without changing the specifications or cutting corners on materials chosen. Fire safety engineers must be involved from the design stage itself.
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Aditya Kedia, managing director of Transcon Developers, explains that in case of an emergency, the building’s occupants must follow standard procedures and head to the nearest refuge area, from where they can go to the ground floor by using a staircase or fire escape chute.
According to him, some safety features that developers should include in their projects are:
- Provision of additional staircases for early evacuation.
- Fire hydrants at every floor and courtyard hydrants at every 30 metres.
- Fire sprinklers in every room and in the parking area.
- Public address system in the elevator, lobbies and staircases.
- Refuge areas at every seventh floor.
- Heat sensors in every kitchen.
- Fire escape chutes at every alternate floor.
- Diesel generator back-up for the fire-fighting system.
- Portable fire extinguishers at every floor, electrical meter rooms and lift machine rooms.
- Smoke detectors in electrical meter rooms, lift machine rooms and lift lobbies at each floor.
Fire preparedness for housing societies
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Housing societies and residents’ associations, should also take the onus, to ensure that their buildings conform to safety norms.
For example, in Navkunj Cooperative Housing Society in Nerul, Navi Mumbai, the water supplied by the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) first fills the fire water tank and the overflow fills the basement tank. “The fire water tanks are located adjacent to the overhead tanks in each wing and we ensure that the tanks are always full. Fire hydrants located in front of the three wings of the building, supply water when needed. There is a pump in each wing, to boost the fire water line. We have a maintenance contract, to keep the system in working condition always. Fire extinguishers are provided in vantage points which are periodically inspected and replaced,” says B Ramamirtham, chairman of Navkunj Cooperative Housing Society.
Every floor should have a layout map of the building with the fire exit points clearly marked and the number of the nearest fire brigade office. Finally, it is vital that residents are trained, in the evacuation of the building, in case of fire.
Fire-fighting tips for buildings
While the danger of a fire can never be totally eradicated, it is definitely possible to detect and manage a fire outbreak in any building. Here are some safety measures that can be adopted in an emergency situation:
- The main entrance doors must be completely fire-resistant.
- Escape routes should have fire-resistant construction and should not have any flammable materials in its vicinity.
- Necessary provisions should be made, for keeping the stairways free from smoke.
- Passageways and ducts that link the apartments should be monitored, as any fire can spread through these.
- Fire alarm and emergency lighting systems should be regularly inspected and maintained.
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