Page 13 - Risk Management Bulletin January-June 2023

RMAI BULLETIN JANUARY - JUNE 2023

the Consttuton under the provisions of Artcle 243W training facilites and equipment. Somehow, the fre
of the Consttuton, the performance of functons listed service in India has not got the atenton it needs and
in the 12th schedule comes under the domain of deserves. There has been very litle planned and
municipalites. Presently, fre preventon and fre fghtng determined effort to revamp it with a comprehensive
services are organized by the concerned states, Union developmental plan and adequate funds.
Territories (UTs) and ULBs.
Increasing trend of fre incidents in
In view of the shortcomings in the fre services in
di?erent states of the country and the need to upgrade India
it, the GoI in 1956 formed a Standing Fire Advisory The incidents of death due to accidental fre in the
Commitee (SFAC) under the MHA. The mandate of the country are quite alarming. Data shows that there
commitee was to examine the technical problems were a total of 20,772 deaths in 2007 in comparison
relatng to fre services and to advise the GoI for speedy to 19,222 deaths in the year 2006. The trend is
development and upgradaton of fre services all over increasing year by year and the states need to take
the country. This commitee was renamed as Standing immediate acton for revamping their fre services.
Fire Advisory Council (SFAC) in 1980. This commitee/
council has representaton from each state fre service, Some of the major fre incidents that occurred in India
as well as representaton from Ministry of Home A?airs in the past four decades are as follows.
(MHA), Ministry of Defence (MoD), Ministry of Road i. On 31st January,1974 an explosion in a rail
Transport and Highways (MoT), Ministry of transport of fre work products led to the death
Communicatons and Informaton Technology (MoC) of 42 people in Allahabad;
and Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). ii. On 29th July,1979 a total of 78 people died and
88 were injured due to fre in a cinema hall in
Fire services in Gujarat, Chhatsgarh, Punjab, Tutcorin, Tamil Nadu;
Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Madhya iii. In 1981, similarly an explosion in a frework
Pradesh are under the respectve concerned municipal
factory in Metupat killed 32 workers, including
corporatons. In other remaining states, it is under the
women and children;
Home Department. While some states have enacted
their own Fire Act, some have not. In some states, it iv. In 1992, two separate incidents of frework
is called the state fre service, while in some states, it disasters in Tharia and Ludhiana accounted for
is called the state fre and emergency services. It is but 25 and 40 deaths respectvely;
natural that there is no standardizaton with regard to v. On 24th May, 1995, an explosion at a frecracker
the scaling, type of equipment and the training of factory in Rohtak, Haryana resulted in a death
manpower of fre services. toll of 23 people, which included 13 women, 6
children and 4 men;
In each state, it has grown according to the initatves
vi. On 23rd December, 1995, over 500 people were
taken by the state governments and the funds
dead and 300 injured due a fre in a school
provided for the fre services. Presently, the only fre
functon in Dabwali, Haryana;
services which are fully commited to the common
public are the municipal and state fre services. vii. In 1995, a fre at a cinema theater in Delhi killed
However, the Airport Authority, big industrial more than 60 persons and lef hundreds injured;
establishments, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) viii. On 9th June, 1997, an accidental fre in the
and sectons of the Armed Forces, have their own fre Brihadeswara temple in Thanjavur district of
services and many a tmes, in case of need, rush to aid Tamil Nadu resulted in more than 60 deaths and
the local fre services. 250 were injured in the stampede to escape;
ix. In February 1997, at least 204 people died due
The state fre services have their own organizatonal
to a fre at a religious discourse at Baripada,
structure, administratve setup, funding mechanism, Odisha;

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