Raise awareness about fire hazards

The number of fire incidents in Bangladesh has increased several times over the last two decades as the country’s urban areas are expanding without basic infrastructure like fire stations. In the aftermath of a particularly horrific fire incident inquiries are ordered. But little is achieved. Homes and production and storage spaces continue to be engulfed by preventable fires. A permanent solution is needed to ensure the safety of human life.

In commercial buildings, warehouses and factory structures, the periodic assessment of the premises, including electricity and gas supply systems, is seldom undertaken. Owners and managers want to spend as little as possible so that they can optimise their returns; workers are asked to continue amid leakages, sparks in wiring or malfunctioning worn-out conduits.

Many premises — established in commercial or residential areas — do not even bother to acquire power connections commensurate with the actual load of consumption. Similarly, layouts and placement of workstations do not guarantee safe evacuation in case a fire erupts. The absence of exits can cause people to be trapped, or lead to a stampede. Lack of ventilation causes suffocation.

Experts at a seminar titled “Upcoming Challenges of Fire Safety in Bangladesh” at the Eighth International Fire, Safety and Security Expo (IFSSE) 2022 held at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) in Dhaka on Friday– urged the authorities concerned to create mass awareness of fire safety management and obligate people to maintain building codes properly for the sake of future generations and sustainable development.

They also called upon them to include the fire safety issue amply in the school-level curriculum to make the new generation aware.

We need greater awareness among the masses and the government about the importance of adopting preventive measures to minimize fire incidents and ensure the safe handling of hazardous materials.

Without awareness, even the most modern fire alarm and fire- extinguishing systems fit into a building will be rendered useless when a fire breaks out. Without awareness, an ordinary seemingly harmless electrical can become a fire monster.

In some countries, fire engineering is a career in itself. Universities in these countries have separate departments of fire prevention engineering or departments of fire protection engineering. It is high time we follow in the footsteps of these countries in promoting fire safety.

It does not take a fire-fighting professional to realize that many fires in this country, and thus economic losses, could have been prevented and lives saved if buildings were equipped with internationally recognized fire-fighting systems, which most of our buildings lack. We need to have fire prevention guidelines and fire safety regulations in our national building codes.

These regulations ought to make it binding for buildings, especially educational institutions and high-rise buildings, to have fire exits, fire escapes, smoke detectors, and fire detectors or fire-fighting systems.

In the public sector, national and provincial disaster management authorities must be asked to assist in revamping risky construction. Devices such as surveillance cameras, and control centres, are being set up by different layers of administration with duplicated functions. But basic inventories must also be prepared. A safety survey may be conducted in locations where fire complaints and hazards are rife. Causes of fire and combating capabilities, route planning for hazards and setting up emergency reservoirs of water could be the starting point. Fire departments must be bolstered by adding hardware, rescue equipment, and free hydrant access.

The authorities concerned must strictly enforce fire safety standards in all buildings, as well as launch awareness and training campaigns to ensure that people know what to do in case of any fire emergencies. Moreover, including fire safety issues in the national curricula could also be a good idea.