With low fire safety awareness, hospitals turn hazardous

From the oxygen cylinders to medicines, IV (intravenous) fluid sachets, the equipment and resources used in a hospital environment are all hazardous in the case a fire breaks out. But, despite the risks involved in the case of such an accident taking place, hospital institutions continue to be reluctant in following the fire safety regulations. 

Besides the danger of the equipment catching fire, the biggest challenge is evacuating the hospital. “While it may not prove to be as difficult in any other location, the large number of patients – many immobile – in all the wards, especially in the Intensive Care Unit and Paediatric departments, makes it so much more difficult to evacuate the patients, said Dr Dhanasekaran Krishnan, the medical superintendent at Stanley Medical College and Hospital at Old Jain Road, where doctors and staff were made to attend a training session on fire safety three days ago. 

Stating that fire safety is not merely something that one needs to know in theory, Dr Krishnan said, “From the doctors to the last grade staff, every individual must be aware of how to pull the fire extinguisher off the wall and use it. Besides, every hospital must have instructions pasted across the hospital premise on what needs to be done in case of a disaster. Directions to exits must also be made clear.”

Besides, he said that each hospital must have fire hydrant and ramp facilities that meet the requirements that have been put forth for evacuation in the case of a disaster. “It has been mandated that the ramps that are put up in hospitals are wide enough to roll a cot. In the case of a fire, it will be difficult to run around in search of stretchers.” 

“Besides, the number of stretchers will also be highly inadequate to take all the patients out. Hospitals have therefore been instructed to keep plastic wheels ready, which can be attached to the cots to wheel them out immediately,” the medical superintendent stated. 

Stating that hospitals have a place called the manifold room which supplies oxygen to wards that need it, a doctor from the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) at Park Town said, “This is usually seen on the ground floor of any building. There will be someone available throughout to cut off all the supply in the case of a disaster as oxygen is a combustible gas resulting in a higher possibility of an explosion.” 

Even though it is extremely important that doctors and other staff are aware of how to act in such situations, awareness continues to be severely low. “Disaster management is not only a factor that should be brought up in meetings and discussions, but it needs to be introduced in the curriculum as well. Every medical student must know how to act during disasters,” said health activist Aarthi S. 

Spark: There is a wide range of equipment such as the ones used for scanning (MRI, CT, etc.) and X-Ray among others that deal with powerful electromagnetic radiation. In addition, there are several other machines that use high-voltage power. In short, these pose a ready risk when it comes to triggering a fire.

Sustain: In oxygen and nitrogen that are stored in cylinders, hospitals store two of the gases that are key to sustaining and worsening a fire outbreak.

Toxicity: Another risk factor is the plastic and other synthetic products that are in abundance at every hospital. These emit noxious fumes that can knock out and even asphyxiate those trapped in it.

Vulnerability: Above all is the condition of the persons admitted there. These include those with communicable diseases; those undergoing treatment regime like chemotherapy and radiation; pregnant woman and the new-borns; post-surgery care cases. Evacuating such a group of people is particularly challenging, prompting the WHO and the Pan American Health Organisation to recommend that as the last step.