How to prevent fire accidents in India ?

Causes for Major Fire accidents in India

Forest Fires

The first thing to note is that except in rare cases of lightning strike, forest fires in India are almost always man-made. The main causes are: smokers throwing ‘beedi’ or cigarette butts, or travelers, shepherds or picnic-makers leaving behind burning or smouldering embers.

Forest tires seldom occur in rain forests or deciduous broad leaf forests. But all coniferous forests and even the evergreen broadleaf forests in hot and dry regions often develop conditions suited for spread of forest fires. Of course, the basic requirement is that both the air and-the burning fuel (grass, bush, fallen leaves, branches of trees, deadwood) should be dry. Hot sunny days with low humidity and strong breeze are conducive to the rapid spread of fire in a forest. Many trees in forests give out oily or wax-like substance, which helps burning and intensification of forest fire.

Once started, forest fires are seen to travel as much as 1 5 km per hour downwind side while spreading slowly sideways too. Extinguishing a forest fire is not easy. Generally forest fire once started, continues until there is heavy rain or the burning fuel is finished.

In almost all cases, a forest fire starts as a “surface fire” in which dry leaves, small bushes and deadwood lying on the ground in a forest get burnt. Flames may rise to about one to two metres at the most. But if surface fire intensifies, thicker bushes and small trees start burning and flames may reach heights of about five meters. On further intensification, bigger trees start burning and flames may reach the tops of tall trees burning the top portions (the crown) of tall trees. Such very intense forest fires are called “crown fires” and are extremely destructive. Sometimes the trunks of big trees explode while burning in such intense fires.

Burning forests give out considerable amount of smoke, gases and hot air going upwards. These also carry burning embers up in the atmosphere and hurl them in the neighbouring areas upto distances which could even be one or two kilometers away. This depends on the strength of prevailing winds. Such burning embers, thrown out of fiercely burning forest fires are very hazardous as these can start fresh fires either in the neighboring forest areas or even in the residential areas or agricultural fields near the forests.

Coal Fires

Coal is a common and cheap source of energy and is utilized through the process of burning. In other words, coal needs to be burnt so that it can be utilized as a source of energy. But this property of coal makes it a hazardous substance when large amounts of coal burn accidentally and without much control on the resultant coal fire. Thus, coal fire can occur either in large stocks of coal (coal pits or coal dumps) or in coal mines below the ground surface. Therefore, the coal mining areas such as those in Bihar, West Bengal, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh are prone to such disasters.

Coal fires generally get started through negligence or ignition of combustible gases. Sometimes, soft coal (especially in deep mines or big dumps) gets so hot due to gases that it may itself start a coal fire (without an external source of fire or ignition) particularly when the atmosphere around is very hot and dry. Such occurrences are called “self- ignition”.

hi many areas of coal mines (e.g., Jharia in Bihar), there are underground fires burning in coal mines for decades and travelling along the coal-bearing areas below the ground. Such instances transmit considerable heat to the ground surface which often cracks and emits gases and smoke which heat and pollute the area and make it unfit for living. Thus, coal fires burning inside coal mines cause, double destruction – firstly by destroying the coal inside the mine and secondly by making the area on the ground surface hot, polluted and unfit for living or economic activities.

Gas Fires

The increasing use of cooking gas in houses and hotels both in cylinders and through pipes is indeed a fire hazard. This gas is also used in cars in some cases. Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) is being introduced in a big way in public buses. These gases are mostly supplied in compressed form and transported by trucks. Some industrial gases are also inflammable. All these constitute a widespread fire hazard.

Oil Fires

Inflammable liquids such as kerosene oil, diesel, petrol, spirit, liquor, ghee, other oils, paints, tar and certain chemicals are prone to fires which can be grouped together in the category of “oil fires”. Such liquids catch fire easily through naked flame or an electric spark. Then they burn on the surface and spread out, thus spreading the flame’s as well. If the oil is in a container, there could be the vapours of the oil and these are also inflammable. This could lead to an explosion in the container. In fact, many such inflammable liquids are also prone to self-ignition because they undergo oxidation on coming in contact with the oxygen in the air. This heats the liquid. If the temperature rises enough, the “flash point” is reached when the liquid starts burning by itself. Therefore, such hazardous liquids of oils are stored carefully away from residential areas or crowded places. Further, good air circulation, cooling and ventilation is to be ensured to avoid the danger of oil fires.. Petrol storage depots, airports, and oil tankers are/particularly vulnerable sites.

Building Fires

Buildings-fires are the most common among the fire disasters. Increasing “population, increasing concentrations of population in closely built small houses or jhuggi-jhoparpatties or in multi-storeyed buildings in cities, increase the fire hazard. Unnecessary accumulation of combustible or inflammable articles or hazardous material add to the danger. Hotels and Cinema houses need special mention in this context. Lack of water or equipment for fire fighting allows the fires to burn fiercely. Hot and dry seasons add to the possibility of fires as also the careless use of electrical equipment, naked wires and loose joints. An electric short-circuit or a spark is often responsible for large-scale fire disasters the like of which are reported every summer from many cities. A large number of building fires owe their origin to the residents smoking in bed and falling asleep while smoking. Accidents in kitchens are also among the major causes of fire in buildings.

In their start and further spread, the fires in buildings are as varied as the buildings themselves. For example, buildings can house residential units or apartments, hotels, schools, colleges, hostels, laboratories, business houses, industrial establishments and factories, stores and shops. Buildings may be closely situated in a colony or be independent bunglows or farmhouses with considerable vacant area around. Buildings could also be multi-storeyed. Heating systems and air-conditioning plants, especially in large and tall multi-storeyed buildings add to the fire hazard. The air conditioning ducts offer easy path for fumes, gases and smoke to be conveyed to other parts of the building quickly and false ceilings of inflammable material add to the hazard. In fact, choking due, to smoke-or-soot is the cause for the majority of deaths in a fire incident.

As indicated above, the electric installations and the wiring can cause fire in buildings when these get heated due to overload. People often do not realize that putting extra electrical load above the permissible limit causes overheating or break in the insulation in the electrical equipment which can either result in a spark or explosion or burn due to overheating.

Prevention and Protection

Prevention is better than cure – so goes the old saying. In the context of fires also, prevention is definitely better than protection. But if a fire does happen, protection becomes most important. Protection from fire consists essentially of detection of the fire as early as possible and extinguishing it as soon as practicable. Thus, safeguarding life and property from fires and forest fires involves three basic aspects, which are: (i) Prevention; (ii) Detection and (iii) Extinguishing.

Prevention and Protection

Research into causes of fires and forest fires, identifying methods of preventing different types of fires and devising new techniques of fire prevention are part of the specialized studies in different branches of engineering. But now the idea of absolute fireproofing or complete prevention of fires whether it is coal, oil, gas, buildings or forests, is considered to be impractical because one cannot decongest the buildings nor stop everybody from careless habits of smoking or burning small fires in or near forests, nor even put a total ban on fireworks which seem to be a

must during festive occasions like Diwali. Therefore, the present day emphasis is on creating conditions or designs so that hazardous materials will be stored safely, fire sources will be handled carefully, electric equipment maintained properly, and fittings and fixtures made of such material that will not catch fire easily or burn slowly. Further, the buildings should be so designed that fires will be isolated in that portion of the building where it started and not spread immediately to the whole building. Finally, periodical inspection and rectification of defects are very important part of the fire prevention process.

Above all, creating awareness among people is the most important part of fire prevention. Every person should be made aware of the serious risks and dangers to him or her, the family, the home and the work place from fire hazards. Proper awareness will enable one to avoid conditions that would start a fire or spread of fire. Basically, this means keeping fire source and combustible or inflammable material separated and under correct conditions of control. Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and the media can play a very helpful role in spreading the awareness among the public. Periodic “fire drills” would also spread such awareness. Schools could play an important role in creating awareness from the early stages.

Detection

Detecting a fire, as early as possible after it starts, is the most crucial step in protection from fire hazards. The three principal indicators of a fire are: (i) smoke, (ii) heat, and (iii) flame. The success of early detection of a fire lies in recognizing one or more of these indicators of a fire. Detection can be planned through (i) self-help by every person by being vigilant around him or her, (ii) a system of alert volunteers for a specific place like a forest or a coal go-downs or a crowded place like circus or a religious or social congregation, and (iii) automatic detectors or
sensors such as heat sensors or flame detectors or smoke detectors in multi-storeyed buildings, markets, cinema halls, hotels, factories, offices or computer centres.

Extinguishing

Once a fire or forest fire has been detected, immediate action is required to stop it from spreading and to extinguish it totally. Towns and cities have fire brigades. But every moment is precious and fire should be tackled immediately till professional fire fighters arrive on the scene. Where there are no fire services, the. citizens have to deal with the fire themselves.

For extinguishing a fire, the basic strategy is to isolate the fire that has started, to stop it from receiving oxygen by preventing its contact with air and to cool the area so that the fire is extinguished.

In most cases, fires are extinguished by water and/or sand. In case of oil fires, special foam chemicals are used. Electric fires are extinguished by switching off electricity and using carbon-di-oxide or halon gases to extinguish the fire. Forest fires are extinguished mostly by beating the burning bushes with handtools and by cutting a strip through forest to prevent fire from spreading. In case of fierce forest fires, huge quantities of water or special chemicals are dumped over burning forests with the help of specially equipped helicopters. But such fierce forest fires generally do not occur in our country. Moreover, this method is very costly.

Lessons Learnt

The most important lesson to be learnt is that no place is immune to fire and every person has to be always alert to the possibility of a fire hazard. Further, almost all fires and forest fires are man-made. It takes the careless or unwise action of one person to begin a destructive fire. Therefore, it is the sacred civic duty of every citizen to ensure that he or she does not cause a fire or a forest fire to begin or spread.

Secondly, combustible and inflammable material should be stored, handled and transported safely to avoid the risk of fire.

Thirdly, all electric equipments and wiring should be maintained properly so that the risk of short circuit or spark is avoided.

People passing through or visiting forests should not leave burning or smouldering embers behind. Smokers should be careful to extinguish cigarette or beedi butts completely before throwing away. They should never smoke in bed. Buildings in crowded localities, especially multi-storeyed buildings, should be properly designed and maintained. The exit routes should not be locked or otherwise obstructed and these should be well marked by “signs”.

Early detection of a fire is a very crucial step in fire protection and this should be ensured through individual alertness, volunteer system and automatic fire detection systems.

GOVERNMENT RULES

Fire prevention and protection often become “State” subjects which means that the responsibility lies primarily with the State Governments. Therefore, the main rules for fire prevention and protection are laid in the form of State Regulations or Municipal Bye-laws. However, at the national level, there is the National Building Code Part IV which deals with fire prevention, protection and guidance by specifying standards for construction, plumbing, electric installations including wiring, safety, sanitation, lighting, ventilation, heating and air-conditioning. As already explained, absolute fire-proofing is not a practical proposition. Therefore, Building Code presents a compromise between fire safety and cost of construction.

At the initiative of the Delhi Fire Service, the Delhi Administration and the Ministry of Home Affairs of Government of India, the Parliament passed the Fire Prevention Act 1996 making it essential to provide the minimum prescribed protection measures for getting buildings certified before these are declared fit for occupation. In addition to rules by Government, there are also the guidelines from such organizations as the Loss Prevention Association of India, the Bureau of Indian Standards, the Institute of Fire Engineers. (India), the Central Building Research Institute, the National Safety Council, and Insurance Companies.

However, all the rules apply only in cities and towns where there is some kind of municipal control. There also, the rules are not always adequately enforced and are flouted more than observed. But for the vast rural areas of the country, fire prevention and protection depends entirely on the initiative, alertness and resourcefulness of the local individuals and the community. No wonder, we have such large numbers of fires occurring in our country, year after year.