Are Government Fire Norms Our Social Responsibility or a Forced Rule?
Just like a fire alarm, there should also be an alarm to stay aware of our mistakes. It may seem unrealistic, but it is essential because sometimes we deliberately commit mistakes and sometimes due to our carelessness.
*IMAGE SOURCE: India Times
According to the Report of India Risk Survey, fire outbreaks are the 3rd biggest risk to business operations. Indian fire fighting services are fully capable to deal with intense fire outbreaks, even then fire outbreaks are causing the lives of people. What is the reason behind it?
There may be 3 possible reasons for constantly rising fire outbreak incidents –
- Lack of knowledge, and infrastructure about fire safety measures
- Not following the government compliance to keep the premises protected from fire outbreaks
- Not maintaining & updating the fire security measures deliberately to save cost
The regular fire services in India came into existence more than 200 years ago.
According to Indian Law, Fire services are the responsibility of the municipal government. As per the 2019 Rajya Sabha data, Of 8,559 fire stations required, there are only 3,377 (39%) in India. There is also a 78% shortage of fire fighting equipment or vehicles in fire stations across the States.
Are MSMEs facing an additional burden of fire norms?
MSMEs are considered a pivot toward the path of becoming a major economy. The Nominal GDP of Uttar Pradesh for the year 2022-23 is ₹20.48 trillion (US$260 billion). The MSME industry accounts for 65% of the total industrial output and constitutes an important segment of UP’s economy in terms of employment generation and earnings through foreign exchange.
Among the other focuses, the big focus comes on Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), where we not only upgrade our economy but also generate a lot of employment.
A micro-enterprise is a small one, and there are a lot of beginners. But when we start, we have several norms to follow, and when we begin, we consider all kinds of funds required for creating the infrastructure, machinery, products, and other significant stuff.
Sometimes the infrastructural cost is avoided toward safety like fire due to our casual attitude. What could be the reason behind it? The main reason is that there are the same standards, it may be pollution, fire or any other identical measure for all kinds of industries. But, Micro should get relief from some of the things, and the same goes for Medium. There should be some capping here as well. If an entity is not doing this much of the business, either these norms won’t apply to you, or if applicable, then you will get the proper support in the form of a subsidy from the government.
There should be a special panel to support and obtain these specific clearances because the fee is INR 100, but the later expenses to get that is INR 1 lakh. These additional expenses put an extra burden on small entities. The infrastructure required is also an additional cost. All these expenses require mitigation for making every premise ready as per the government fire norms.
Otherwise, all of a sudden, a norm clearance is coming into the picture. Yes, we should have safety, and we should have all the principles followed. But have we realized if shutting down orders will be levied on the industry, then how many people would be unemployed, it may also become the reason for economic losses on a larger scale. Who will be responsible for such losses? Following the norms at the cost of survival, may not be a wise move.
We don’t just require persuasion to have these standards, but we also require a supporting hand from the government to support enterprises in attaining those goals.
Measures to Prevent Fire Outbreak
- Prevent the construction of illegal extensions in the structures
- Generating awareness among users toward the permeability of the structure
- Formulating a plan for disaster management, specifically for old buildings located in packed regions, through stakeholder consultation
- Routine monitoring by the authorities considering the allotment & renewal of permits and licenses
- Regular supervision & inspection of the fire safety measure in the structure
Final Words
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath recently inaugurated 25 fire stations in 18 districts and flagged off 25 fire-fighting vehicles while directing the officials to ensure that every tehsil of the state should have a fire station in the next two years.
97 fire stations were sanctioned in the entire state in the last five years, out of which 30 have been completed. It is a good initiative, but the government should also initiate its endeavours to make people understand their responsibilities. The whole picture would be different when people will start understanding their responsibilities toward their employees, society, and fire safety measures.
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