Developing for safer residences

While modern high rises have high fire safety standards, maintaining the relevant facilities and conducting awareness drills regularly is equally important

Last week, when two of Mumbai's major retail markets burnt down, one song that summed up the overall attitude was Billy Joel's 'We didn't start the fire.' Since the fire had begun after all shops were closed, thankfully there was no loss of life. The question that arose, however, was what if the fire had taken place in a residential locality, especially in a high rise? Do we have enough safeguards in place? How do we compare to other countries when it comes to avoiding fire-related calamities? Essential aspects Anand Stanley, country head and managing director India, UTC Fire & Security, explains, "In a residential building while the main focus of fire protection strategy should be to prevent fire, should a fire accidentally break out, early automatic fire detection is essential to help contain the fire. An automatic fire detection and alarm system provides an early warning of a developing emergency situation. It facilitates safe and swift evacuation of people, can summon the emergency services and also provides accurate information concerning the location of the fire so it can be dealt with in an appropriate manner." Precautions matter Russell Waugh, managing director, Leighton Welspun Contractors Pvt Ltd, shares, "Optimum precautions against fire is taken into consideration for high rises. The electrical wirings that are used are fire resistant. These reduce the chances of fire from spreading during circuits and contain the fire within a limited area. Even the electrical fittings and switch boards are fire resistant andtechnically checked. There should be a facility to tackle fire by having water outlets in each floor near the staircase and lift area. In a high rise open floors at fixed distance should be dedicatedly kept empty for fire exit and for residents to assemble in the event of fire. Lifts should automatically stop moving and residents should be encouraged to take steps to escape from fire." Safety standards Lakshman Bhagtani, CMD, Jaycee Homes Ltd., points out that most of today's high rise structures in Mumbai are constructed with state of the art technology in building construction adhering to the highest safety standards as per government guidelines. "Optimum precautions against fire are taken into consideration for high rises with water sprinklers and fire hydrants installed in the building as per requirement. The use of fire-rated glass in the interior and the exterior of the building as required, adds to the comfort of the internal environment while providing passive fire protection. In high rise, specific open areas are provided at certain intervals called refuge area for residents to assemble in the event of fire. This is also required regulation by the authorities." Specific norms Harresh Mehta, CMD, Rohan Lifescapes, says, "The buildings in Mumbai are required to follow fire safety norms as prescribed by Chief Fire Officer (CFO). In cases of structures taller than 70 meters, the safety requirements are further vetted by High Rise Committee. CFO is a member of this committee. Considering that most development in this city is vertical, fire safety is a challenge; there are factors over and above the statutory and legal requirements that are thought of. Requirements like multiple pressurized staircases and refuge decks, fire alarm systems are catered for which are more in the nature of cure and prevention however these are very critical." Design insights Fire safety measures are also consciously incorporated in the basic design of the building; for instance planning shear walls to use as fire guards. Also, foyers, staircases, and other areas are separated into compartments to enhance fire safety. Fire rated doors are used as main doors, lobby doors and kitchen doors. In our buildings adequate care is taken to ensure that power trips in case of surge or short circuit. Smoke detectors and fire alarms are suitably installed at most location and are synchronized with the central alarm system and the BMS," Mehta adds. Code alert Anoop Dave, director-technical, Kamrup Housing Projects Pvt Ltd, feels that fundamentally as per the Indian Standard code, all the fire safety measures with residential as well as commercial complexes are in place. "Fire mishaps happen primarily because of the standard codes not being implemented properly. For a robust fire safety system, the quality of electrical goods being used and workmanship should be kept at the core of designing as such mishaps are caused by short circuit or overheating. In residential areas, besides right kind of wiring and switches, it is very important to have a regular audit of electrical set up and installation. Dual phase "Putting up a secured fire safety measure has to be done in two phases. Since wiring is not visible to our eyes, a very good quality of workmanship is needed for putting wires and switches in place. Then there is larger installation of transformers and generators for large residential complexes. After the installation, preventive devices have to be installed like fire alarm, smoke alarm, sprinkler etc in order to avoid spreading of fire. For example, circuit breaker has to be used for avoiding fire and shock by short circuit or overheating. These two should go hand in hand in order to build any robust fire safety system," Dave feels. Escape routes Neeraj Gulati, MD, Assotech Realty Pvt Ltd, says, "We follow all necessary architectural and construction measures that make our buildings safe against fire. All the escape routes are marked to guide during evacuation. We have 2-3 wide staircases in all our projects that can enable an easy exit in case of fire. We have well placed fire extinguishers, hose reel, automatic sprinkler system at desired places, electric fire alarm systems, automatic detection and alarm system that can be used in case of emergency. In addition to this, we have a fire safety plan in place that can be taken by the occupants in case of a fire. All possible statutory as well as other means like regular checking, mock drills, etc. have been taken by us to ensure safety to the residents." Ensuring safety Alkesh Jain, director, operations & administration, Neev Group, concurs. "The recent market fires have caused a lot of worry and have shifted the immediate focus to the necessity of fire safety measures in residential buildings. However one must keep in mind that these markets were almost 25 years old, congested, had no safety preventive measures, lacked maintenance and had no proper wiring provisions. Nowadays builders seem to be ensuring that their projects have the necessary fire safety equipment needed during calamities to ensure safety of residents. Post project completion, safety measures should be taken to ensure that the structure is always safe and sound." Greater awareness Shailesh Puranik, MD, Puranik Builders Pvt Ltd, opines, "Safety and security assumes a significant role in today's real estate construction. There is a great awareness about fire safety both to the public at large and to the developers. While developers are giving priority to the safety and security, authorities also insists specific requirements to be undertaken by the developers before handing over the project. Fire situation poses one of the most serious problems. To reduce the risk of spreading fire and the consequent damages, all the buildings should be provided with adequate numbers of fire escape stairs/ exits. " Proactive measures Mayur Shah, MD, Marathon Group, points out that "There has been a greater awareness among almost all the stakeholders in the real estate sector in these days. Besides, there are various guidelines brought in by civic authorities, which are always fulfilled by the developers. Many times various proactive measures have been taken by the developers towards the safety and security of the residents while undergoing a construction. Just installing fire security measures is not sufficient, its functioning at the right time (when required) is equally crucial. Therefore, we keep a check on the working of the systems and measures." Integral component Manoj John, VP Corporate Planning and Strategy, RNA Corp, says, "Fire safety design and measurement is one of the most integral part of any real estate property for the prevention from various fatal uncertainties. We have undertaken an integrated fire safety system in all our residential projects. We are providing all required fire safety measurements such as open refuge area, emergency fire exit, fire fighting equipments, reserved water tank arrangement, Smoke detectors, Burglar alarm in all apartments, Sprinkler fire extinguishing system and LPG gas detection system integrated to BMS. Open refuge area, reserved water tank and emergency fire exit is a must in every residential tower for the prevention from fire. Also, all societies should train security guards and watchmen the operation of fire system and water tanks, which is one of the most important but neglected fact." Old structures Shrinivas Rao, CEO-Asia Pacific, Vestian Global, cautions that "Fire Safety standards in India are way below the Industry guidelines laid down by fire authorities. Most of the incidents that occur are caused due to sheer negligence on the part of the landlords/ building owners or tenants who occupy the premises. Post the Fire NOC being issued by the statutory authorities most landlords/ tenants due to capacity needs alter the existing systems for increasing the loads. This normally happens without any prior approval and in turn is the most common cause for fire accidents. In my opinion it's imperative that Federal Government brings in a uniform law across all States to prevent dilution of the safety laws at State levels and to ensure we raise the bar on safety and value of human life."