Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has said fire safety issues are often addressed only after a tragedy occurs and that is why all hospitals and nursing homes must prioritise fire safety compliance and conduct regular drills to ensure every member is prepared for their role.

He urged people not to compromise on safety and emphasised that small measures, such as audits of fire safety equipment and staff training on operating fire extinguishers, can save many lives.

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Saxena said fire safety in hospitals remains a national concern and adoption of modern technology to mitigate the risks is the urgent need of the hour.

“There is a need to redefine the fire safety norms and regulations to be able to effectively prevent fire mishaps. Also, the hospitals, nursing homes and doctors need to adhere to this and be more conscious while designing their space,” he said at workshop on Hospital Fire Safety and Evacuation of Patients organised by the Directorate of Fire Services, Civil Defence and Home Guards, Ministry of Home Affairs, in collaboration with National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and PHDCCI at PHD House here.

At the workshop, Vivek Srivastava, IPS, Director General, Fire Services, Civil Defence and Home Guards, Union Ministry Of Home Affairs,revealed that the root cause of hospital fires is electrical in origin, accounting for around 70 per cent of such incidents.

He said lately, there has been a lot of concern at the highest level of the country about fire safety in hospitals.

“As is evident, there is a major requirement of fire exits in hospitals. This workshop aims at deliberating on unique challenges, safety guidelines and solutions for hospitals and bringing together all the stakeholders to prevent fire incidents. Further we plan to conduct this workshop across the nation and bring all stakeholders onto a common platform, remaining committed to safeguarding life and property during fire emergencies and it is our responsibility to ensure that every facility upholds the highest fire safety standards,” Srivastava said.

At the workshop, Hemant Jain, President, PHDCCI informed that as one of India’s premier Chambers of Commerce, PHDCCI has always believed that industrial and institutional growth must be accompanied by a robust safety framework. “To this end, we took a significant step two years ago by forming a dedicated Taskforce on Safety and Fire, which has been working diligently to promote awareness, compliance, and the adoption of best practices in fire safety across industries,” he said.

The workshop was also attended by Syed Ata Hasnain, Member, NDMA, Piyush Anand, IPS, DG, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and K S Vatsa, Member, NDMA.