Schools, colleges under Fire dept’s scanner

Kanpur, October 1 In an effort to prevent fire accidents, the Fire department has launched a campaign to check fire-fighting equipment in schools, colleges, commercial and residential buildings.
The department has already served notices on 1,100 buildings, including schools and colleges. According to the notices, a no objection certificate (NOC) would be issued to the buildings only after they comply with the fire safety norms.
The department has also appealed to people to not send their children to such schools and colleges that lack proper fire fighting arrangements.
A committee comprising officials from Kanpur Development Authority (KDA), Kanpur Nagar Nigam (KNN), Fire department and Kanpur Electricity Supply Company (KESCo) was constituted after the recent City Centre fire incident, told Chief Fire Officer D P Shukla to The Indian Express.
“The team constituted by the district magistrate, conducted a district-wide survey to identify buildings that are not following fire-safety measures," he added. Among the buildings without fire-safety equipment were a large number of schools and colleges, added Shukla. .
He added, according to fire safety norms, one-storeyed school buildings are required to install fire extinguishers every two classrooms and ensure proper exits for children. High-rise buildings (up to five-storeyed) should have overhead tanks, pumps and big fire extinguishing equipment.
Schools and colleges have come under scanner as science students perform experiments with various inflammable chemicals.
R K Arya, a chemistry teacher at DAV College, said, “Though the college already has fire-fighting equipment, we are further upgrading the arrangement, as chemistry laboratories contain several inflammable chemicals.”
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