“The Pessimist Sees Difficulty In Every Opportunity.
The Optimist Sees Opportunity In Every Difficulty.”

“Let there be light and there was Diwali” is an appropriate Biblical amendment of its original verse but Diwali, the country’s most colourful and bright of festivals, brings with it some hazardous fire-related risks. If due care and caution is not exercised, it can lead to terrible disasters, as evident from the Panvel fire a few days back. The inferno that gutted a high-rise building in Panvel exposed several flaws in modern homes. Understandably, it led to the Fire Department issuing mandatory directives to high-rise buildings in its jurisdiction to address these flaws.

It was a cause of huge concern on Dhanteras (Friday, November 10, 2023) to see firefighters helplessly watching the passing of the ‘golden hour’ to control the fire inside a flat in a high-rise building in Panvel as they didn’t have access into the house. A flat in Sai World City, a plush high-rise near Palaspe Phata in Panvel, was gutted by the major blaze. The incident happened when the occupants were away.

The incident brings to light the flip side of the festivities where electricity-powered decorative lights, earthen lamps and firecrackers can result in tragedies that lead to loss of lives and property. It is all the credit of the Panvel Fire Department that it quickly grasped the gravity of such perils and had many takeaways from the incident. Quite judiciously, instead of drawing solace from the fact that there were no fatalities, it promptly acted and resolved to issue mandatory directives to all high-rises within its jurisdiction under the Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Act 2006, amended in 2023.

Crucial time lost

The Panvel fire is just the template of a fire-related disasters that have become routine feature of Diwali. S K Bodkhe, Deputy Chief Fire Officer, CIDCO, also holding acting charge of Chief Fire Officer (CFO), Panvel Municipal Corporation, made it clear that “the fire could have been easily prevented from spreading within the golden hour, had the firemen had access to the flat which was burning from inside. Despite being on the spot in quick response time, firemen and the trained security staff of the building had to wait for the owner to turn up and open the flat door. The damage was done and the delay resulted in the fire spreading in the house and growing in intensity and thus causing more damage.

Mr Bodkhe had to use of his discretionary powers bestowed under the Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Act and issue a mandate to all the high-rise buildings above 70 metres to have ‘door openers’ so that the firemen can break open the flats and carry out fire and rescue operation, within the golden hours. He also reiterated that it is mandatory for every new building, above 45 metres in height to have fire sprinklers passing through each and every room inside the flat under the National Building Code and also under the Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Act.

What compounded the situation was the sprinkler was not able to reach the area of the room which was on fire. Since mega housing complexes have to have firefighters on hand to deal with crises, it was resolved that will be made mandatory to have a fire officer appointed along with firemen, so that these trained firemen can prevent major fire disasters and they will also be helpful during an emergency. In the case of societies that cannot afford the service of fire officers, they will be asked to hire firemen in two shifts apart from educating the chairman and secretary, for conducting regular fire audits and fire drills.

The problem with high-rises

It is a recurring scenario every Diwali where people place electricity-powered decorative lights and burning earthen lamps close to curtains or wooden material that catch fire and spread it rapidly. The situation is rendered tricky in high-rises. The in-built fire safety systems in high-rises play a key role in fire-fighting, evacuation and rescue operations. It is crucial to have adequate well-trained fire prevention officers and evacuation systems in every high-rise building or vulnerable occupancies as mentioned in the National Building Code.

While the Fire Department leaves no stone unturned to issue advisories from time to time, is prepared to hold educational drills and spread awareness on tackling emergencies, there is little support from majority people who because of complacency, are at complete sea when disaster strikes.

Hundreds of fire-related incidents were reported from across India on the occasion of Diwali on Sunday. As expected, cities take the dubious distinction of registering most of these which are consigned to the dust bin of the memory just because there were no reports of casualties. In most cases, shops and residential premises were found to be locked outside, making fire-fighting extremely difficult. The mindset is all is okay as long as there are no lives lost.

The onus of ensuring safety lies majorly on the occupants. While the Fire Department does all within its means to take preventive measures, it is disconcerting to see that they have to only put their lives at stake because of negligence or lack of safety measures.

The Dos and Don’ts during Festive Occasions     

* Ensure that no live flame is burning in the house at the place of worship or elsewhere before you leave the house or go to bed.

* Ensure that a single socket is not used for giving multiple connections for decorative lights as overload can lead to short circuits.

* Avail service of trained licensed electricians for decorating the balconies with decorative lights and lanterns.

* Never use a lift in case of fire, and reach the nearest refuge area by staircase. Also use a wet cloth or towel to prevent smoke inhalation.

* Ensure the glass windows and balconies are closed during evening hours, to prevent any accidental firecrackers like rockets and shots from entering rooms and causing damage.

* Supervise children while bursting firecrackers and keep buckets filled with water nearby so first aid can be administered immediately in case of minor burns.

* Put on notice board emergency numbers so prompt action can be taken.