Fire safety is not given priority in most of the buildings and houses in Bangladesh and due to this the damage during such accidents cannot be minimized. Fire safety experts say that in order to prevent fire accidents in any building or house or to reduce its damage, preparations must be made from the construction stage of the building.
Major AKM Shakil Nawaz, former director of Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defense and managing director of BM International, a fire safety-related organization, said that if a fire occurs, it can be prevented from spreading to a large extent if necessary measures are taken in advance.
According to him, to ensure the fire safety of a building, two things must be ensured in the building. One he referred to as the active system and the other as the passive system.Mr. Nawaz said, preventive measures are the most important in fire safety. It should be attached to the original design during the construction of the house and the civil engineer should ensure it.
And proactive measures include various measures to prevent the spread of a fire once it occurs.
Mr. Nawaz He also said that for the same reason, if there is a fire in these buildings, the loss of life is less.
To prevent fire accidents in any building, the things to be ensured are:
1. Sealing of duct lines and cable holes:
In modern high-rise buildings, the pipes used for air-conditioning, heating, electricity and gas connections pass through duct lines and cable holes. Smoke and fire can spread very quickly through these duct lines and holes. Mr. Nawaz says, for this, duct lines and cable holes should be closed well with fire retardant material.
Besides, care should be taken to prevent fire from spreading through anything used for interior decoration of the building.
2. Use of fire retardant material:
What kind of material is being used while constructing a building is very important. Such materials play an important role in preventing accidents like earthquakes and fires. In this case it is better if the doors and walls are fire resistant.
Besides, if the ceiling of the house, kitchen furniture is made of fire resistant material and fire resistant wire is used, there is no fear of fire spreading.
It is better not to decorate the interior of the building with any material that contains synthetic or hydrocarbon material.
Mr. “These are dishes like polao, korma, biryani,” says Nawaz.
On the one hand, fire spreads quickly through these materials, on the other hand, if there is a fire, these materials burn and produce toxic fumes, which can make people unconscious almost immediately if inhaled. As a result, the number of lives lost in fire increases. Many times people die because of these smokes.
3. Installation of alarm system:
If a building catches fire despite preventive measures, one way to minimize the damage is to install a fire and smoke alarm system and regularly check that it is working properly.
Experts say that if the alarm system works, if there is a fire in one place, the entire building’s occupants will know about the fire and they can quickly vacate the building and come down. As a result, loss of life can be greatly reduced.
4. Ensuring and using emergency exits:
Any building must have an emergency exit outside in case of fire. It must be a passage where fire and smoke cannot enter. Because if there is a fire or an earthquake in a building, it is advised not to use the elevator of that building.
5. Keeping and using fire extinguishers:
Ensure that every building has a fire extinguisher or fire extinguisher. Also, the residents of the building should know how to use them.
Experts say that after a fire breaks out in a building, it takes some time for it to spread. A major accident can be avoided if it can be extinguished with fire fighting system during this period.
The first two minutes after ignition is called the platinum hour or the most valuable time. The former director of the fire service said that the damage can be reduced a lot by taking measures without panicking at this time. Nawaz
6. Sprinkler System:
A technical system for extinguishing fire is sprinkler system. It is connected to the water supply system of a building.
In this system, if the temperature exceeds 57 degrees at any point, it automatically explodes and starts spewing water.
As a result, the fire was extinguished. They are generally used in large commercial or factory buildings, but nowadays their use can be seen in residential buildings as well.
7. Regular Exercise:
Brigadier General Ali Ahmed Khan, the former director general of fire service and civil defense, said that firstly, everyone should know how to use fire extinguisher, how to call fire service in case of fire.
Regular drills should be arranged for how to get out of the building in case of fire. He thinks that this kind of exercise should be done at least once a month with the participation of all the residents of the building.
If there is a fire, whose responsibilities should be divided in advance. These things must be known so that no one inhales the smoke from the fire, use the stairs to get down from the building, cover the face with a wet towel and evacuate to a safe place. In addition, under no circumstances should you be disturbed or jump from the building in panic.
Besides, skilled manpower capable of ensuring fire safety can be employed in multi-storied buildings. So that if there is a fire, they can take immediate action and reduce the damage.
Source Link: https://www.bbc.com/bengali/articles/ce57zn8y0jro
