During the upcoming dry weather conditions, which are likely to persist till June, fire experts in Hyderabad have urged people to remain alert and follow basic rules.
Published Date – 28 January 2023, 12:15 AM
Hyderabad: In the past few months, be it commercial establishments or apartment complexes, Hyderabad has witnessed a large number of fire incidents, which have not only claimed lives but also caused considerable damage to property. In the coming months, with the advent of the summer season, similar fire accidents are expected to increase, leading to more deaths and property damage.
During the upcoming dry weather conditions, which are likely to last till June, fire experts in Hyderabad have urged people to remain alert and follow basic rules, which can go a long way in preventing fire accidents.
First of all, experts have urged owners of commercial establishments and management of residential welfare associations in Hyderabad to be cautious about inflammable materials, which help the fire spread rapidly.
Flammable materials such as paper, cloth, wood, paint, LPG cylinders and plastic are commonly stored in buildings and pose a huge risk. “People carelessly throw away unnecessary paper and wood stored in their homes or offices, even though it can be disposed of without much effort. Such material fuels the fire, causing great loss of life and property. The most important thing for residents of any property is to clear all unnecessary flammable materials and garbage stored inside and outside the house,” advises regional fire officer V Papaiah.
The next simple thing that people can do before the onset of summer is to check the electrical switchboards and equipment in buildings. This simple step goes a long way in preventing fire accidents caused by overheating and short circuits, which are the most common causes of fire. Failure to do so can lead to small sparks that eventually cause fire. “It is advisable to get an annual check done by certified electrical engineers before the onset of summer,” explains Papaiah.
These days, many multi-storey buildings have a high fire load, which means there is a lot of wood in the form of furniture, furnishings and other flammable materials. Fire load is usually measured as the weight of flammable materials per square foot of floor space. Essentially, fire load establishes the potential severity of a fire incident in an apartment.
To maintain balance and reduce fire load, it is important to have fire fighting equipment. Officials say that fire fighting equipment should be present on all floors of the building and before summer, fire extinguishers, heat detectors, fire hydrant pipelines and other equipment should be thoroughly checked so that they are functional when they are needed the most.
Careless throwing of cigarette butts is also a cause of fire, especially in offices, shops and open parking areas where garbage is spread. To prevent this, no one should be allowed to smoke cigarettes inside offices or establishments and an area should be designated for this.
Apart from this, one must also see to it that the garbage heaps are cleared from in and around the premises of gated villa communities, farm houses, companies and large offices, as a carelessly thrown cigarette butt can cause a fire unexpectedly and spread to the neighbouring premises as well.
Basic training in firefighting should be mandatory for security personnel in establishments as they play a vital role in stopping fires at the initial stage. Otherwise, building owners can ask fire department personnel to visit buildings, and show and explain the basics of firefighting to them before firefighters arrive at the spot. Also, fire officials suggest that stairs should be cleared of furniture, paper or other obstructions, which will facilitate people to exit quickly in case of a fire.