The advent of summer and with it the traditional fire season aggravated by climate change has prompted the Kerala Fire and Rescue Department to initiate a Statewide fire safety drive.
The recent fire outbreaks at Brahmapuram, Kanhangad, Malappuram and Wayanad has imbued the authorities with a sense of urgency to crack down on establishments and entities, which cut corners on fire safety.
However, the department lacked the teeth to impose fines or penalise offenders and could only at best send a damning report against the violator to the local body or the District Collector.
Officers said they resolved to invoke the provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, to get strict with lawbreakers who compromise on fire-safety.
The sweeping drive would initially cover establishments ranging from wayside eateries to five-star hotels and budget stays to high-rise apartments and shopping malls and cinema halls.
Illegal warehouses
It would also focus on illegal warehouses and establishments that stock inflammable materials, including plastic and styrofoam, with limited protection against fires. Officers from the Electrical Inspectorate would work in tandem with the fire authorities.
The department also requested the government to restore the defunct fire hydrants in Chala Market in Thiruvananthapuram, Broad Way in Kochi and S.M. Street in Kozhikode to replenish their engines while fighting fires. Officials said the startling rise in mercury level in February had caused a corresponding increase in fire incidents.
Heaped garbage and piled up plastic litter and urban waste were potent fire safety hazards.
The department also moved to procure more hydraulic platforms, highly mobile water mist fire suppression systems, and fire engines kitted out with telescopic ladders to fight fires in high-rises and congested urban neighbourhoods. A recent meeting chaired by Director General, Fire Force, A. Hemachandran, and Director, Technical, A. Prasad, also decided to raise a volunteer rescue force to assist emergency responders.