India’s adequate fire safety regulations for public buildings

Over the past few weeks, there have been deadly fires in hospital buildings, including those treating COVID-19 patients, compounding what is already a severe crisis that the country is facing.

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The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) says 330 people died in commercial building fires in 2019, while fatalities for residential or dwelling buildings were much higher at 6,329.

Electrical faults are cited as the leading cause of fires but State governments are widely criticised for being lax with building safety laws and for failing to equip public buildings with modern technology.

Hospital ICUs (intensive care units) are a great fire risk because they are oxygen-suffused, and need to meet high standards.

Part 4 of the National Building Code of India deals with Fire and Life Safety. The document provides specifications and guidelines for design and materials that reduce the threat of destructive fires. Hospitals come under the institutional category in the code.