PUNE: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has ordered fire audits at all shopping malls across civic areas.
The decision has been taken in the wake of recent fire at a mall in Aundh.
“The administration has issued directives to shopping malls. They have been told to take precautions against fire safety. We have a system in place for checking if these facilities are in place or not,” said Devendra Potphode, head of the PMC’s fire brigade department.
Activists have called for regular fire audits at the malls. Potphode said that teams from the department check these malls at regular intervals. They inspect maintenance and renovation of the fire-fighting systems at the malls. A licensed agency is told to do audits annually. A major mishap was averted at Aundh mall due to these measures recently. According to the fire brigade department, the audits would involve checking and improving water sprinklers, inspections of fire hydrants, fire-fighting systems, and emergency exits. Fire-fighting drills would be conducted to check the safety of these facilities.
As per the PMC officials, specific requirements have been given for fire prevention and mitigation. Big buildings and commercial establishments must have escape route, which means any well-ventilated corridor, staircase or other circulation space, or any combination of the same.
A facility like fire and / or emergency alarm system is mandatory. A special lift designed for use by fire service personnel in the event of fire or other emergencies is also compulsory.
Installation of fire-proof doors or shutters as advised by the Unified Development Control and Promotion Regulations (UDCPR). It should be made up of fire-resistant material to prevent transmission and spread of heat, smoke and fire for a specif period.
Vijay Kumbhar of Surajya Sangharsha Samiti, a citizen group, said that the quality of the fire audits should be high. It should not be carried out just as a formality. “It was seen in the past that not only malls, but even big buildings like housing complexes have not done the audit diligently. The fire-fighting facilities are set up but not maintained properly. It increases the chances of mishaps. Stringent action is must against persons responsible for maintaining the fire-fighting systems and also civic officials ignoring their auditing duty,” he said.
Fire brigade officials said that the fire at Westend Mall in Aundh on November 22, that prompted evacuation of over 5,000 people, might have been caused by a short-circuit in a blower pump of a first-floor eatery’s exhaust duct. While no one was injured in the incident, the smoke from the fire reached the third floor by the time the fire brigade team reached the site.
“Thankfully, the firefighting system at the mall worked quite efficiently as it immediately set off a fire alarm, prompting staffers to evacuate all people,” fire officer Shivaji Memane from the Pune fire brigade said.
