Page 74 - IBT August 2021 Issue

Fire Safety THE BURNING
QUESTION

According to the same escape routes in non-compliant
document, every building factory and office buildings.
must have regular fire drills While we are on the subject of
and evacuation procedures fire safety, escape routes, labour
in place, along with a first law and its compliance or the
aid and firefighting plan, lack thereof, let us ponder on
adequate training for each another meaty question here – are
occupant in first aid and workers supposed to be locked in
firefighting (rented or owned) during work hours? Word for word,
and responsibilities for the same The Factories Act, 1965, Section 22,
occupants with regards to assuming point 3 states that “In every factory the
key roles during a fire incident, if it doors affording exit from any room shall
occurs. If we talk about the fire fighting not be locked or fastened so that they can be
equipment at length, rest assured these are not easily and immediately opened from inside while
just regular fire extinguishers that we see on any person is within the room, and all such doors,
buildings and beside elevators. We are talking unless they are of the sliding type, shall be
about the real deal here – fire hydrants and a constructed to open outwards, or where the door is
sprinkler system installed every 10 feet that turns between two rooms, in the direction of the nearest
on automatically if the building temperature rises exit from the building and no such door shall be
above 62 degrees. We are talking about fire alarms locked or obstructed while work is being carried on
and smoke detectors in every room, smoke vents in
each room, heat detectors, flame detectors,
rate-of-rise-heat detectors, ionization chamber Post the FR Tower tragedy where it
smoke detectors and chemically sensitive smoke was found that the building, along
detectors. We are talking the whole nine yards. In
most cases, the firemen who go to the affected area with many others in the same area,
to tame the flames arrive at the scene expecting were not complying, the government
these paraphernalia installed but most cannot find
the existence of any. found upwards of 65% of buildings in
Chapter 4 of the Bangladesh National Building Code the city that were in non-compliance
2006 talks about how, if a building needs repair or
alteration work, it should be evacuated, unless the of the law
safety measures and escape route plans are
impeccably maintained. The FR Tower, as we know, in the room.” - Yet somehow, the most recent case of
was under various stages of disrepair and was the Shezan Juice Factory suggests that this was
constantly being warned about the impending risks. indeed what had happened. Doors were locked and
For any building, high-rise or otherwise, an escape hence, despite there being an escape route, (albeit
route is as important in the incident of a mishap or only two in a factory that should have had at least
lack of training and equipment. In fact, the surest four to five) so many people had to senselessly lose
way to save lives is through a solid escape route. their lives.
And here we come to a contradiction, of sorts. Rule The Fire service during the FR Tower incident said
17 (1) of the Building Construction Rules 1996 says they had written to these buildings to take fire
that buildings with 500 or more residents at any safety precautions but the warnings fell on deaf
given time must have (at least) two staircases and ears. This sounded, to many, like a reactive and
Be it Dhaka North City Corporation Market in Gulshan, FR document which says that buildings need approval from
Tower in Banani or the recent, Shezan Juice Factory in eleven different authoritative bodies, including the Fire separate fire exits with fire and smoke resistant defensive statement. It is not that the laws are not
Naraynganj- we have many examples of sad and preventable Service department. This approval is given in the form of an doors on each floor, connecting to floors below, as there – they are there and they are solid. What is
fire incidents all over Dhaka and the outskirts of the capital. NOC (No Objection Certificate) only after the fire service alternate escape routes. Chapter 4 of the unfortunately lacking, is the responsibility to follow
For those who have lost loved ones in these incidents, it is department thoroughly checks all equipment and makes sure Bangladesh National Building Code 2006 mentions up whether the laws are being adhered to and the
even worse to know how unnecessary these incidents were the building is in compliance with all fire safety design that “All buildings constructed for human accountability thereby. In a country where laws are
and how easily they could have been prevented, had proper requirements. Unfortunately, post the FR Tower tragedy occupancy or storage shall be provided with all too easy to bend, lawmakers need to do more
laws been followed. where it was found that the building, along with many others adequate exit facilities to permit safe and quick than issue warnings. They need to be proactive and
According to the law, or more specifically, the Bangladesh in the same area, were not complying, the government found unaided escape of the occupants in the event of fire seek out noncompliance and make examples out of
National Building Codes, any building beyond six stories is upwards of 65% of buildings in the city that were in or other emergency.” In the FR Tower fire incident the rule benders before they bring the nation
considered a high-rise building. Before completing the non-compliance of the law – and these are just government and in the most recent Shezan Factory incident, another needless tragedy.
construction of such buildings, owners must have the numbers. The actual percentage may be way higher. Needless people were seen to be jumping off the buildings in
necessary firefighting equipment in the building premises to say, out of eleven, most settle for two or three approvals order to escape. That alone should tell you all you
and take approval from The Fire Safety SOP, a 27-pager and then glide by with the help of grease money. need to know about the compliance of having

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