The number of fire incidents has increased four times over the last two decades, as the country’s urban areas continue to expand without basic fire safety infrastructure.

According to data provided by the Fire Service and Civil Defence, around 285,000 fire hazards took place in the country between January 1, 1999 and December 31, 2020, causing an estimated financial loss of around Tk 6,900 crore.

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Meanwhile, between 2004 and 2020, fire accidents killed at least 2,308 people, the data shows.

As recently as in 2020, 21,073 fire incidents were recorded, which was the second highest of the period, only coming second to 2019, which saw 24,074.

Experts attributed this rise in fire incidents to unplanned urbanisation,  violation of building construction rules, a culture of non-enforcement of the law, carelessness, increased use of gas cylinders and different electronic devices, and lack of supervision by the authorities concerned.

As a remedy, they suggested urgent initiatives to ensure safety compliance of city establishments, such as garment factories, and raising public awareness.

THREE MAJOR CAUSES

As per the statistics, between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2020, 71,684 or over 71 percent of fires originated from electric disturbances, various types of burners, and burning cigarettes.

Buet civil engineering department’s Prof Mehedi Ahmed Ansari identifieD electric short-circuit of this ilk as the main reason behind the rise in fire incidents, suggesting periodical inspection of electric equipment as a solution.

He also cited people’s lack of awareness regarding fire safety as another reason.

ENFORCING BUILDING CODE

Prof Ansari said in a study a few years back, it was found that most high-rises in Dhaka and other cities were without fire safety measures, primarily as they constructed flouting the building code. “These buildings should be inspected immediately to ensure fire safety,” he said.

Ansari said the recent statistics suggest fire incidents in garment factories have declined sharply, as fire safety measures have been strictly maintained at most garment factories as Accord and Alliance, two western buyers’ platforms, created huge pressure on owners following the Rana Plaza tragedy in 2013.

“But quality fire safety is not being ensured in other offices, factories, and residential houses — both in high-rise and low-rise ones. The government should strictly enforce the [updated] building code to ensure urban fire safety,” he said.

“Rajuk is supposed to implement the building code, but it lacks adequate and quality human resources. “

He recommended keeping fire extinguishers on every floor and training people on their use in the case of any fire incident. He also said building owners must provide tenants with keys to the entrance and the rooftop to help with evacuation.

ENGAGING PRIVATE ORGS

Experts said no government body deals with fire safety issues in most countries in the world. “Private companies are given the responsibility and the government only monitors it.”

“We’ve long been suggesting the government to assign a private organisation to work for ensuring fire-safety in existing buildings and implement the building code in constructing new ones,” Ansari told the news agency.

INCLUDING FIRE SAFETY IN TEXTBOOKS

Abdul Momen, Assistant Director (training) of Fire Service and Civil Defence Directorate, said trained volunteers are needed alongside awareness among people to check fire incidents.

He said the government, with the help of NGOs, can train people in the major cities and fire-prone districts to help deal with fire hazards before fire fighters arrive.

He also said it’s necessary to include fire safety issues in the national curricula.



2.85 lakh fire incidents in two decades
Source: Trend Viral Philippines