Fire Safety and its Management

Dr. Jaspal Singh, Chief Engineer, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana
FIRE SAFETY is defined as the set of practices which are intended to decrease the destruction caused by fire. It also refers to planning and infrastructure design aimed at reducing the risk of fire or impeding the spread of a fire. Fire safety encompasses the use of fire-resistant building materials, preventative actions, safe work practices, fire safety training, flame-resistant protective clothing etc. In the event of fire, the three most important actions in chronological order are to:

Raise the alarm
Summon the fire brigade
Evacuate the building

With the rapid development and urbanization, more and more buildings are being built in densely populated areas. The fire safety of high-rise buildings have attracted people’s attention over years, due to their unique challenges, such as long evacuation time and distance, smoke movement and control, and fire department accessibility. Fire protection features are provided to ensure safety of these buildings in case of a fire. Fire safety provisions might not be provided in all public and residential buildings. There are some building codes which are enacted by the government to ensure various features as adequate fire exits, signage and construction details such as fire stops and fire rated doors, windows and walls.