Fire safety regulations: Zero progress in four years
CDA has only been issuing notices to management, building owners.
ISLAMABAD:
The Islamabad Fire Prevention and Life Safety Regulations were approved and notified by the government in 2010. Four years later, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has yet to effectively implement fire safety regulations in the city.
The regulations empower the authority to survey both public and private buildings and ensure that adequate fire precautionary measures, such as fire exits, alarms and extinguishers, are in place.
The proposed penalties include fines running into thousands of rupees. Their implementation, however, has been lax.
A senior official of CDA’s Emergency and Disaster Management directorate said less than 10 per cent of the city’s high-rise buildings comply with fire safety laws.
He said the authority just relies on issuing notices to owners asking them to adopt precautionary measures as per the ordinance. In most of the cases, owners of the multi-storied buildings even refuse to receive these notices with a view to be on the safe side in case of any untoward incident in their premises.
The regulations were passed after a detailed survey of high-rise buildings in the federal capital, both public and private.
The survey had found fire extinguishers and other safety tools either missing or outdated and inoperative. The situation has not changed since.
In light of the survey, the civic agency compiled detailed safety regulations as per international standards, which were approved by the CDA board after which the government put a stamp on the law and published it in the Gazette of Pakistan in 2011.
The law divides building standards into three clauses: fire prevention, life safety and fire protection. Fire prevention covers the aspects pertaining to design and construction of buildings on passive fire protection measures, describing various types of building material and their fire safety rating.
The life safety provision deals with events of fire and similar emergencies, addressing construction and occupancy features that are necessary to minimise danger to life from fire, smoke, fumes and panic.
The protection aspect relates to appurtenance, related components and guidelines for selecting correct types of equipment and installations meant for fire protection of buildings depending on their classification.
Under the safety regulations, CDA has the powers to get vacated or seal any building or impose fines up to Rs0.5 million if it finds any violation. The civic body, however, has not taken action against a single violator in four years.
CDA to survey violations
CDA spokesperson Asim Khichi said the EDM directorate had discussed the issue with the chairman, who has directed the wing to conduct a survey to ascertain the actual number of violators who have not made precautionary arrangements.
He said the findings will submitted to the chairman after Eid and the authority will devise the next plan of action based on them.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 6th, 2014.
The Islamabad Fire Prevention and Life Safety Regulations were approved and notified by the government in 2010. Four years later, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has yet to effectively implement fire safety regulations in the city.
The regulations empower the authority to survey both public and private buildings and ensure that adequate fire precautionary measures, such as fire exits, alarms and extinguishers, are in place.
The proposed penalties include fines running into thousands of rupees. Their implementation, however, has been lax.
A senior official of CDA’s Emergency and Disaster Management directorate said less than 10 per cent of the city’s high-rise buildings comply with fire safety laws.
He said the authority just relies on issuing notices to owners asking them to adopt precautionary measures as per the ordinance. In most of the cases, owners of the multi-storied buildings even refuse to receive these notices with a view to be on the safe side in case of any untoward incident in their premises.
The regulations were passed after a detailed survey of high-rise buildings in the federal capital, both public and private.
The survey had found fire extinguishers and other safety tools either missing or outdated and inoperative. The situation has not changed since.
In light of the survey, the civic agency compiled detailed safety regulations as per international standards, which were approved by the CDA board after which the government put a stamp on the law and published it in the Gazette of Pakistan in 2011.
The law divides building standards into three clauses: fire prevention, life safety and fire protection. Fire prevention covers the aspects pertaining to design and construction of buildings on passive fire protection measures, describing various types of building material and their fire safety rating.
The life safety provision deals with events of fire and similar emergencies, addressing construction and occupancy features that are necessary to minimise danger to life from fire, smoke, fumes and panic.
The protection aspect relates to appurtenance, related components and guidelines for selecting correct types of equipment and installations meant for fire protection of buildings depending on their classification.
Under the safety regulations, CDA has the powers to get vacated or seal any building or impose fines up to Rs0.5 million if it finds any violation. The civic body, however, has not taken action against a single violator in four years.
CDA to survey violations
CDA spokesperson Asim Khichi said the EDM directorate had discussed the issue with the chairman, who has directed the wing to conduct a survey to ascertain the actual number of violators who have not made precautionary arrangements.
He said the findings will submitted to the chairman after Eid and the authority will devise the next plan of action based on them.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 6th, 2014.