What is a Building?

• It is a Structure or an enclosed construction built for a

permanent use for living or non-living.
• Used for staying or storing purpose.
• Eg: Home, Apartments, Schools, Colleges, Hospitals,
Factories, Warehouses.
Classification of Buildings:
Common Hazards in a Building:
• Construction Failure/ Building Collapse
• Explosions
• Physical Injuries/ Accidents
• Electrical Accidents
• Fire Accidents
• Slip, Trip, Fall
• Storage of Hazardous/ Flammable Materials
• Chemical Exposures
National Building Code (NBC):
• NBC is the norms or standards provided for
constructing a building.
• It provides guidelines for regulating the building
construction activities.
• It also provides Standards for general building
requirements; fire safety requirements; structural
design and construction, etc.
• NBC Part 4 Fire And Life Safety.
Fire Safety in Buildings: (NBC)
1. Fire Prevention: (Before Fire)
Design and Construction of the building based on
Passive Fire Protection measures.

2. Life Safety: (During Fire- Rescue process)

In the event of Fire or similar Emergencies.
To minimize the danger of life from fire, smoke, fumes.

3. Fire Protection: (During & After Fire)

Selection of proper Fire Equipments and Installation.
Fire Protection:
1. Active Fire Protection
2. Passive Fire Protection
Active Fire Protection:

• It is a system that needs to be activated or triggered

during fire/ to response to a fire.
• Manual Operation: Eg: Fire Extinguishers, Fire
Buckets, Fire Blankets.
• Automatic Operation: Eg: Sprinkler systems,
Detectors, Fire Alarms, Water mist/ spray systems.
Active Fire Protection Equipments:
Hand Appliances Fixed Fire Fighting
Installation
Fire Extinguisher Riser system
Fire Buckets Sprinkler system
Fire Blankets Detectors
Hydrant system
Ring system
Fire Alarms
CO2 flooding systems
Fixed foam installation
Water mist system
Hose reels
Passive Fire Protection:
• During fire, without any system Activation/ trigger,
it reduce the size and restricts the spread of fire.
• Design of the Building
• Seperation walls
• Compartmentation (Fire barriers, Fire partitions,
Smoke barriers)
• Fire doors/ windows
• Fire resistance coatings
• Fire retardant paints
• Fire Dampers
• Suspended Ceilings
• Escape Routes/ Emergency Exits
• Penetration Seals for Pipes, cables.
• Warning Alarms
• Seperation of Buildings
Fire Prevention:
Precaution against Fire:
• Installation and Maintenance of the fire fighting equipments.
• Storage Management- Store flammable and combustible
liquids or hazardous materials safely.
• Control smoking materials and open flames.
• Electrical equipment Management- (Quality of cables, wires/
avoid over load/ short circuit) Fire resistant wires.
• Housekeeping Management- tasks on a regular basis.
• Materials Handling
• Smoke Management
• Proper Ventilation
• Regular Fire Audits
• HIRA Process (Hazard identification & Risk
Assessment).
• Escape routes, Emergency Exits.
• Proper first aid measures.
• Signage boards.

Fire Education:
• Fire trainings
• Mock drills/ Fire drills
• Evacuation drills
• Awareness Programs/ trainings.
During Fire in a Building…
Do’s:
• Alert others around by shouting “Fire” as loudly to draw
their attention.
• Know the building’s evacuation plan.
• Evacuate calmly and quickly whenever a fire alarm
sounds.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a wet cloth when you are
trapped in a fire or during evacuation.
• Know two ways Exits of any building.
• Before opening a door, feel it with the back of your hand.
If the door is hot, do not open it.
• If you encounter smoke during your evacuation, stay low
to the floor.
• Know the locations of fire extinguishers, fire alarm pull
stations, Emergency exits, Refuge areas of the building.
• Learn how to use a fire extinguisher.
Don’ts:
• Do not get panic.
• Do not use lifts/ Elevators for escape. Use only
Staircases.
• Do not allow storages or obstructions in the common
corridors and staircases. The exit routes must be clear.
• Do not allow the Fire doors of the staircases to be kept
open. In case of fire, heat and smoke enters the
staircases and prevent the escape of people.
• Do not smoke or lit the fire. NO SMOKING!!
• Do not paint or coat any decorations on fire detectors
or sprinkler heads.
• Do not re-enter the affected building to collect the
valuables or for any other purpose.
Roles and Responsibilities:
• HIRA Process
• FSMP Fire Safety Management Plan (Fire protection,
Fire Prevention, Planning)
• Regular inspection of the building
• Data Collection about the building
• Fire Safety Plans
• Display of Floor plan/ Building plan.
• Emergency contacts lists
• Well trained and knowledge on Fire fighting
equipments, Installation, Operations.
• Evacuation planning
• Regular check of Emergency exits/ escape routes.
• Proper housekeeping maintenance
• Proper Electrical supply
• Awareness programs/ trainings
• Fire drills/ Mock drills
• Awareness to public about Assembly point, Refuge
area, Exit routes, MCP, Emergency contacts.
• Signage boards (Symbols/ signs).
• Aware about Rescue operations/ techniques.
• Public address system.
Case Studies – Building Fire due to
lack of Safety Management
Carlton tower office building:
• Date: 28 February 2010. Place: Bangalore. State:
Karnataka. Lives Losses: 9
• Ignition sources: The fire was started from basement
of the building by an electric short circuit
• Fire feeding materials: Through the wiring and the
electrical fixtures, computers and other furniture
materials.
• Passive and active measures: Both passive and
active provisions are provided properly, but Escape
routes are blocked by waste materials, the fire
fighting equipments are not in working condition.
• Reasons for lives losses: Three people jumped from
the higher floors. Nine people lost their lives by
breathing problem, due to smoke with toxic
substances inhalation.
• Failure aspects: The fire fighting appurtenances
are not working, blocking of escape routes and
evacuation procedure.
AMRI Hospital Fire Accident:
• Date: 9 December 2011. Place: Kolkata. State: West
Bengal. Lives losses: 89
• Ignition of fire: The basement floor used as storage
area of diesel, motor oil and wooden furniture store
room, Fire started here.
• Fire feeding materials: All the floors accommodated
with hospital needed common hazard materials.
• All doors, windows, exterior finishes are constructed
by glass materials. The exterior glasses are not
opening or breakable. The fire sprinkler, fire
smokers, vent opening on the top are not provided.
• Reasons for major lives losses: The building
without ventilation the fire flame makes the building
inside very hot and the smoke covered the entire
building and blocked all escape routes. As a patient
they cannot make their way out due to suffocation,
breathing difficulty, vision obscurity.
• Failure aspects: Provision of minimum
requirements of fire fighting appurtenances, poor
housekeeping, security arrangement, disaster
management and evacuations procedure.