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By: Express News Service | Gandhinagar |
Updated: December 14, 2020 1:30:00 am
FSOs will be required to undergo refresher training and upgrade their skills every three years. (File)After announcing to allow young engineering and fire safety graduates to be empanelled as Fire Safety Officers (FSOs) for timely issuance and renewal of fire NOC to different buildings in the state in October this year, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani Sunday also declared the details of the new mechanism for the appointments of private FSOs.
The CM also declared that a portal designed by Gujarat Institute of Disaster Management (GIDM) will be launched on January 26, 2021, for making the service available online to the people.
Addressing a press conference here, Rupani said, “In the past, there was no mechanism to check all this (fire safety compliance by buildings). For example, in Ahmedabad, there are thousands of properties. There was no mechanism for the (municipal) commissioner to get these checked. Fire brigade has limited staff and it was not possible for them to handle all that along with their routine work. So, adopting a practical approach and considering administrative difficulties, we are creating a new system. With this, we will be able to handle (fire safety compliance).”
Rupani said, the services to get fire NOC every six months for high rises, commercial complexes, schools-colleges, hospitals, industrial units etc., will be speedy and without any interruption. The government has announced appointment of FSOs under the provisions of Section 12 of the Gujarat Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Act, 2013.
Young engineers from specific faculty and those who have studied in the field of fire safety will be empanelled as private FSOs after training by GIDM and clearing examination.
They will also be required to undergo refresher training and upgrade their skills every three years.
The FSOs will be appointed in three categories as per the nature of fire safety expertise required for the type of buildings; FSO General, FSO Advance and FSO Specialist.
The FSO General will not require any experience, whereas the FSO Advance and FSO Specialist will require experience of five years and 10 years respectively in the field of fire safety.
An official release said that with the new mechanism, the property owners/possessors will have the option of choosing an FSO of their choice from among the large cadre of trained and expert private FSOs. The rates of procuring the services of private FSOs will be decided by the FSO and the concerned property owner/possessor.
Rupani said that the system will also spur competitiveness among the qualified FSOs and chance of better rates for the services to the people.
To hold the private FSOs accountable for the fire NOCs they issue, a government fire officer will do random inspection to check if before issuance of the NOC, all the parameters of fire safety were checked or not.
And if some omission is found then penal action will be taken against the concerned FSO and the property owner/possessor.
“Gujarat government is creating a whole system for fire and a post of Director of Fire will be created and officers in four regions will be appointed for that. Those officers will take care of different issues of fire system in fire stations under them like staff, training, instruments and if they are working properly or not by holding continuous dialogue, seminars, meetings etc.. We are creating this nice system,” Rupani added.