Compliance with safety norms can prevent fires in hospitals, say Tamil Nadu Fire & Rescue officials

CHENNAI: Over 30 people, including new-borns, were killed in the recent fire accidents at a gaming zone in Gujarat and a hospital in New Delhi. In 2022, a short circuit in a room that had oxygen cylinders led to a fire at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH).

These fire accidents have emphasised the importance of safety measures and compliance to safety guidelines, as fire accidents are preventable.

Recently, the State Health Department had instructed all hospitals across TN to have a fire-safety compliance, strictly adhere to regulatory requirements and obtain a valid No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) from the Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services Department (TNFRS), which plays a significant role in the implementation of safety measures in hospitals.

The department has carried out 3,910 fire safety audits in 2023-24, including 1,249 audits in government hospitals (GHs) and 2,661 in private hospitals to check for fire safety compliance. As many as 4,500 mock drills have also been conducted in government and private hospitals in 2023-24.

After a State government-sponsored survey revealed that private and GHs lacked fire safety mechanisms, a State-level committee, under the health secretary, in 2018 had mandated ramps and issued safety guidelines.

“Though most of the GHs have ramps following the recommendations, not all hospital beds have wheels, which is required for evacuation purposes. The patient load is very high in GHs especially in ICUs. Some speciality wards are provided with cots that have wheels. However, most beds in general wards do not have them,” averred a city-based activist.

TNFRS officials point to the challenges in implementing fire safety measures at the hospitals, some of which include lack of proper fire-fighting equipment, poor maintenance of electrical wiring and equipment, and unauthorised storage of flammable materials. “Though some hospitals might have the fire-fighting equipment, they do not maintain it properly and thus, they do not serve the purpose,” noted a TNFRS official.

Lack of training for hospital staff on fire safety procedures has been identified as another challenge. Besides other safety factors, managing the complexities of hospital infrastructures including aging buildings and complicated systems inside the hospitals is also difficult for fire and rescue personnel during accidents.

TNFRS department does not have an administrative role in case a hospital does not comply with the fire safety norms. It can only recommend, and offer to conduct mock drills, workshops, seminars on best practices in fire safety, etc., all of which highlight the importance of compliance.

Meenakshi Vijayakumar, joint director, TNFRS, said, “Internal fire safety audits with check-lists and guidelines provided by the department, and identification of potential fire hazards should be done regularly. Hospitals should be encouraged to create and regularly update fire safety plans including the evacuation procedures and train their staff on it.”

If hospitals don’t comply with the safety measures, a show-cause notice from the local fire authority should be issued for strict compliance within a stipulated timeline. Even if not complied, then a non-compliance report would be forwarded to the competent authority for further action.

“Strict compliance of fire safety regulations and codes such as the National Building Code and TN Combined Development and Building Rules should be enforced. It’s important to engage independent third-party auditors to assess the hospital’s fire safety systems and compliance with relevant regulations,” Meenakshi added.

Dr TS Selvavinayagam, director, the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, stated that hospitals have been asked to focus on fire safety assessment on their own. “With self-assessment in place, hospitals can ensure compliance. We also welcome experts to offer recommendations to improve the fire safety measures in hospitals.”