Regular monitoring coupled with adoption of newer innovative technologies is the need of the hour.
Chandresh Mehta,
Fire safety is becoming a pressing need in residential and commercial buildings these days. How do you look at the current scenario or fire safety?
India's urbanization has grown significantly in the past two decades, with the National Commission on Population predicting over 38.6% of the population will live in urban areas by 2036. Mumbai which is already home to 77% of India's super high-rise structures. It faces challenges in fire safety due to the surge in high-rise buildings. Fire safety is a critical concern in India, where frequent accidents pose serious hazards to both life and property. With the surge in construction of high-rise buildings, there exist a myriad of challenges with respect to the design of MEP services, specifically fire and life safety.
Along with implementing desired design principles towards fire-proofing developments, developers also need to ensure that consistent evacuation drills are conducted along with training occupants and staff in emergency preparedness.
What are the major reasons for the growing fire incidents in buildings and towers?
Mumbai Fire Brigade data shows that about a third of fire incidents in 2023 were in tall buildings, with 70-80% due to electrical short-circuits. Poor construction practices, such as poor-quality metal conductors and under-sizing of wires, can lead to electrical hazards. Additionally, older electrical systems may lack effective circuit protection devices, such as circuit breakers or residual current devices (RCDs), which are intended to detect and respond to electrical failures. Without effective circuit protection, defects caused by overloaded circuits or equipment malfunction may go undetected, allowing electrical fires to occur. Inefficient building design, poor ventilation, and hidden fire installations can also exacerbate the problem. Moreover, hidden or obscured fire installations can hinder access during emergencies, causing delays in response and escalating the fire. Concealed equipment may fail to function properly, causing smoke detectors to fail, fire extinguishers to be inaccessible, and sprinkler systems to be obstructed, limiting their effectiveness. To ensure fire safety, future design should be systematically changed through collaboration between architects, interior designers, fire authorities, and real estate players.
A proper functional fire-fighting system is needed at every building premises. Currently what is the scenario?
Presently, buildings are equipped with fire systems that duly comply with the National Building Code (NBC)/The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) codes wherein a special emphasis is laid on orderly maintenance of the system which guarantees round-the-clock protection. For ensuring seamless and smooth functioning of the fire protection system, regular monitoring coupled with adoption of newer innovative technologies is the need of the hour. At Rustomjee, we are monitoring fire pumps and other safety equipment remotely through Internet of things (IoT) which is also integrated with Fire Alarm (FA), Public Address (Public Address) and access control system. We are utilizing materials which have been certified by the Government after they have tested the same at their approved labs. The integration of IoT technology with fire pumps and safety equipment, along with fire alarm, public address, and access control systems, offers a comprehensive and interconnected approach to fire safety management. By leveraging real-time data, automation, and remote monitoring capabilities, these integrated systems help to improve response times, enhance situational awareness, and mitigate the risk of fire-related incidents in buildings.
What are the key fire safety systems to be installed by the builder at his project to fulfill the needs of fire safety norms?
Few of the key safety systems that should be installed by the developers to adhere to all necessary fire safety norms are as follows:
· Fire sprinkler system - an automatic extinguishing system (AES) that prevents fire growth and spread by releasing water through sprinkler heads connected to a distribution piping system.
· Fire hydrant system - involves pipe work connected to the water supply main, providing water to every outlet for firemen to douse fire.
· Fire alarm system - is a system of multiple devices that uses visual and audio signals to alert individuals about potential fire, smoke, or carbon monoxide incidents.
· Public address system - enhances sound volume in Fire Control Centers, enabling manual announcements on individual floors, groups, or all floors, stairwells, and garages.
· Fire sealant - Fire-rated sealants prevent fire, smoke, and toxic fumes from entering building structures by sealing off openings, preserving integrity, and slowing down the fire's progression.
· Diesel Generator (DG) back up/Alternate source - ensures fire safety by maintaining essential systems during power outages, providing a reliable, independent power supply, reducing fire-related incidents and enhancing building occupant and property safety.
· Pressurization system - is intended to prevent smoke leaking passed closed doors into stairs by injecting clean air into the stair enclosure such that the pressure in the stair is greater than the adjacent fire compartment.
· Ventilation system - Smoke ventilation creates a smoke-free layer, enhancing safety and enabling early firefighting, and can be done naturally or mechanically.
· Portable extinguishers - release an extinguishing agent to cool the fuel, remove oxygen, or stop chemical reactions, controlling fires until help arrives.
· World class signages - According to international standards, there are 5 categories of fire signage: prohibition signs, warning signs, mandatory signage, emergency exit signs/escape routes (directional arrows), and fire equipment signs.
· Fire blankets in kitchen - Fire blankets, made from woven fibreglass, smother fires, cutting off oxygen supply, ideal for small kitchen fires, especially Class F fires involving cooking oils.
How effective are the current regulations on fire safety at buildings? How important is complying with the norms?
The National Building Code of India (NBC 2016) is a comprehensive document which has helped give more clarity to realtors with regards to compliances to be followed for fire and life safety systems. The same is expected to be updated with additional requirements to be followed and will be released soon.
Though the industry norm is to follow prescriptive method which is ideal in a standard scenario, we should be more inclined towards performance-based fire design. Performance-based fire design offers numerous benefits for developers, including customization, innovation, optimization, flexibility, and enhanced safety. By embracing performance-based approaches to fire safety, developers can create buildings that are not only compliant with regulations but also better equipped to withstand fire hazards and protect occupants and assets. Additionally, mandatory regulation from authorities on the report submission of periodical health updates on the final installation would help fire-proof structures in the long term.
What is your vision on a fire-safe future and what steps are needed to accomplish this?
For a fire safe future, it would be pivotal for developers to comply with all the necessary legal norms set by the Government and relevant industry bodies. If the fire systems are built in accordance with the desired design principles and accurate materials using the correct methodology coupled with robust installation plus efficient maintenance, it would considerably reduce the risk of fire occurrences. Regular monitoring of the system along with timely upgrades with the advent of new technologies will help in timely detection in case of any discrepancy within the system, thus boosting disaster-preparedness. Regular fire audits to check the health of the system, fire-training programs to educate consumers and mock drills are critical components for a robust fire-safety strategy.
