2 hrs ago
Andhra Pradesh Plans Fire Safety Norms Based on Fire Load
Andhra Pradesh wants to change how buildings follow fire safety rules.
The new rules would consider how much fire risk a building has, called its fire load.
An 11-member committee will study the issue and suggest the changes.
Smaller hospitals and other low-risk buildings may receive simpler requirements.
For example, some hospital fire equipment might be allowed on the roof instead of in a ground-floor pump house.
Officials say simpler rules could encourage more establishments to follow them.
They also hope this will reduce fires and protect people.
Medical representatives agree that lower-risk hospitals may need some relief.
However, they want large or high-risk hospitals to keep strict safety requirements.
Andhra Pradesh has formed an 11-member committee to draft new fire safety norms based on establishments’ fire load.
The committee will study global fire safety measures and propose rules under the state’s Deregulation Phase-II initiative.
Hospitals, educational institutions, commercial establishments and small industrial units with lower fire loads may receive more practical requirements.
The proposed rules may review requirements such as placing hospital fire pumps and water storage on rooftops instead of ground floors or cellars.
Officials said the approach aims to increase compliance, reduce fire mishaps and improve public safety, while medical representatives sought stricter rules for high-risk hospitals.
- Who
- The Andhra Pradesh government and an 11-member committee headed by the director general of state disaster response and fire services.
- What
- The state is preparing new fire safety norms based on the fire load and risk of different establishments.
- Where
- Andhra Pradesh, with the committee including representatives from Vijayawada, Roorkee, Nagpur and Hyderabad.
- When
- The committee was constituted through a government order issued on Tuesday, during the Deregulation Phase-II initiative launched in January.
- Why
- To simplify certain requirements, increase compliance, reduce fire mishaps and improve public safety.
Pragmatic, Fire-Load-Based Rules
Stricter Safeguards for High-Risk Hospitals
Relaxing requirements for lower-risk buildings
Pragmatic, Fire-Load-Based Rules
State fire officials support a pragmatic approach that relaxes some requirements for establishments with relatively low fire loads so they are more likely to comply.
Stricter Safeguards for High-Risk Hospitals
The proposed flexibility should not weaken essential protections, particularly where buildings have greater fire risks.
Hospital standards
Pragmatic, Fire-Load-Based Rules
Smaller hospitals with lower height, fewer beds and fewer major machines may receive some relief under risk-based rules.
Stricter Safeguards for High-Risk Hospitals
Hospitals in high-rise buildings or those with more beds, intensive care units, air-conditioning and advanced scanning equipment should face stringent fire safety requirements, according to a medical representative.
Key facts
- Committee size
- 11 members
- Committee leadership
- Headed by the director general of state disaster response and fire services; the director of fire services is member-convener.
- Policy context
- The rules are being developed under Compliance Reduction and Deregulation Initiative Phase-II, also called Deregulation 2.0.
- Current framework
- Andhra Pradesh and other states previously followed the National Building Code for fire safety norms.
- Potentially affected establishments
- Hospitals, educational institutions, commercial establishments and small industrial units with relatively low fire loads.
- Example under review
- For some hospital buildings, a rooftop pump house with pipeline connections and fire equipment may replace the existing ground-floor or cellar arrangement.
- Stated goals
- More compliance, fewer fire mishaps and improved safety for people.
Quotes
C. Srinivasa Raju
Former president of the Andhra Pradesh branch of the Indian Medical Association
“New fire safety norms will be formulated in such a way that certain norms will be relaxed. There will be a more pragmatic approach to ensure more compliance with fire safety by the establishments, bring down the number of fire mishaps and ensure safety to the people.”
deccanchronicle.com
“Compliance with fire safety norms should be applicable based on the fire risk factor in the hospitals.”
deccanchronicle.com
Sources
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