1,800 hospitals served notices for fire safety violations: UP Fire Services DG
While Lucknow has witnessed multiple incidents of hospitals catching fire, the December 18 incident at Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS), wherein a woman and an infant were killed, has jolted the authorities to act immediately. While Uttar Pradesh Fire and Emergency Service has regularly carried out safety drives and awareness campaigns, it recently conducted a statewide electrical safety audit of hospitals across the state. In an interview with HT, the director general of UP Fire Services, Avinash Chandra, spoke about actions taken against hospitals for safety violations while also stressing on the department’s attempt to raise fire safety awareness. He said the department has served notices on around 1,800 hospitals in the state. Excerpts: Please share more details about the statewide audit. Drives were conducted before, but seeing SGPGIMS fire, we ordered a statewide electrical audit and awareness drive. There are 12,276 licensed hospitals in the state, while the rest are running in small spaces without proper licensing. While the drive was carried out between December 20 and 27, due to the large number of hospitals a second round was also conducted from December 30 to January 5. What is the prime reason for fire in hospitals? Over 80% of fires happen due to electrical short circuits. In winter, their number rises due to heavy usage of electrical appliances. As heavy electrical equipment in hospitals run 24x7, they are more prone to suffering short circuits, which many a time take the form of fire. Many equipment have poor quality wires with lower current carrying capacities. What action can be taken against hospitals for violating safety norms as per the UP Fire and Emergency Services Act, 2022? There are very strict criteria in the law that will be invoked now. Any hospital or other premises sans proper fire safety measures will be sealed. We first serve them notice asking them to take corrective measures. If they fail to ensure the same, toughest action will be taken against them. Any action taken so far against hospitals? They are in the pipeline. Almost 20-25 hospitals in each district, which means about 1,800 hospitals, have been served notice for not ensuring fire safety measures within their premises. The issue is sub-judice. Our idea is to take corrective action instead of shutting down a hospital as that might hamper health services in the area. Is there an update on a report that was to be submitted by a seven-member committee formed by the government to probe the PGI fire? The committee will be submitting its report to the department concerned. Its observations and suggestions will be implemented accordingly. Any step being taken by the department in view of increasing fire incidents? Every firefighter is being trained to drive, perform a drill and do everything else required in a rescue operation. This will eliminate the requirement of deploying more people for a small operation.
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While Lucknow has witnessed multiple incidents of hospitals catching fire, the December 18 incident at Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS), wherein a woman and an infant were killed, has jolted the authorities to act immediately. While Uttar Pradesh Fire and Emergency Service has regularly carried out safety drives and awareness campaigns, it recently conducted a statewide electrical safety audit of hospitals across the state.
In an interview with HT, the director general of UP Fire Services, Avinash Chandra, spoke about actions taken against hospitals for safety violations while also stressing on the department’s attempt to raise fire safety awareness. He said the department has served notices on around 1,800 hospitals in the state. Excerpts:
Please share more details about the statewide audit.
Drives were conducted before, but seeing SGPGIMS fire, we ordered a statewide electrical audit and awareness drive. There are 12,276 licensed hospitals in the state, while the rest are running in small spaces without proper licensing. While the drive was carried out between December 20 and 27, due to the large number of hospitals a second round was also conducted from December 30 to January 5.
What is the prime reason for fire in hospitals?
Over 80% of fires happen due to electrical short circuits. In winter, their number rises due to heavy usage of electrical appliances. As heavy electrical equipment in hospitals run 24x7, they are more prone to suffering short circuits, which many a time take the form of fire. Many equipment have poor quality wires with lower current carrying capacities.
What action can be taken against hospitals for violating safety norms as per the UP Fire and Emergency Services Act, 2022?
There are very strict criteria in the law that will be invoked now. Any hospital or other premises sans proper fire safety measures will be sealed. We first serve them notice asking them to take corrective measures. If they fail to ensure the same, toughest action will be taken against them.
Any action taken so far against hospitals?
They are in the pipeline. Almost 20-25 hospitals in each district, which means about 1,800 hospitals, have been served notice for not ensuring fire safety measures within their premises. The issue is sub-judice. Our idea is to take corrective action instead of shutting down a hospital as that might hamper health services in the area.
Is there an update on a report that was to be submitted by a seven-member committee formed by the government to probe the PGI fire?
The committee will be submitting its report to the department concerned. Its observations and suggestions will be implemented accordingly.
Any step being taken by the department in view of increasing fire incidents?
Every firefighter is being trained to drive, perform a drill and do everything else required in a rescue operation. This will eliminate the requirement of deploying more people for a small operation.
