FIRE safety is highly ignored in educational institutions, shopping malls, industries, and apartments and many establishments in the capital city though Dhaka is located near the tectonic plates of acute earthquake-prone areas. A recent inspection of the Fire Service and Civil Defence has found inadequate fire safety measures in the capital which can give rise to casualties in possible fires.
The inspection conducted by 11 teams of Fire Service in 2,612 establishments, found 2,538 were either “risky” or “very risky” while only 74 had adequate fire safety measures. The report showed a gloomy state of the educational institutions inspected, as 971 of the 989 institutions lacked fire safety measures. The fire department found 91 institutions very risky and 880 risky. Among the establishments inspected, the hospitals are in a very vulnerable situation.
A fire at such hospitals and clinics would result in heavy casualties. The reason is that; hospitals and clinics keep oxygen cylinders, chemicals and other highly inflammable substances that could cause fire to spread quickly. Many buildings don’t have proper fire exit routes or fire extinguishers in line with the National Building Code. The code says the fire exit route has to be designed in a way that it is unobstructed. A building will have fire-rated doors and be connected directly to the road outside for easy exit.
Meanwhile, the number of fire incidents has been rising due to a lack of awareness and unwillingness to put in place fire safety measures because it involves investment. According to the fire department, the number of fire incidents more than tripled in the last 21 years. In 1996, the number was 5,376 which rose to 18,105 last year. Experts stressed the need for periodical inspections of establishments to avert big disasters. To avert possible disasters, the government should at least take initiative to inspect those establishments where a large number of people gather.
We think, the casualties could be limited if the establishments gets proper fire safety. In that case, RAJUK, fire department, builders should all enforce the building code while doing their parts.
The inspection conducted by 11 teams of Fire Service in 2,612 establishments, found 2,538 were either “risky” or “very risky” while only 74 had adequate fire safety measures. The report showed a gloomy state of the educational institutions inspected, as 971 of the 989 institutions lacked fire safety measures. The fire department found 91 institutions very risky and 880 risky. Among the establishments inspected, the hospitals are in a very vulnerable situation.
A fire at such hospitals and clinics would result in heavy casualties. The reason is that; hospitals and clinics keep oxygen cylinders, chemicals and other highly inflammable substances that could cause fire to spread quickly. Many buildings don’t have proper fire exit routes or fire extinguishers in line with the National Building Code. The code says the fire exit route has to be designed in a way that it is unobstructed. A building will have fire-rated doors and be connected directly to the road outside for easy exit.
Meanwhile, the number of fire incidents has been rising due to a lack of awareness and unwillingness to put in place fire safety measures because it involves investment. According to the fire department, the number of fire incidents more than tripled in the last 21 years. In 1996, the number was 5,376 which rose to 18,105 last year. Experts stressed the need for periodical inspections of establishments to avert big disasters. To avert possible disasters, the government should at least take initiative to inspect those establishments where a large number of people gather.
We think, the casualties could be limited if the establishments gets proper fire safety. In that case, RAJUK, fire department, builders should all enforce the building code while doing their parts.
