In 2 yrs, over 100 fires in hosps, nursing homes
New Delhi: In a little over two years, the Capital has seen over 100 fires in centres offering healthcare and medical services, including but not limited to hospital buildings, pharmacies and dispensaries, the latest data compiled by the Delhi Fire Services has now shown.
On March 31, a massive blaze had forced hospital staff and fire officials to quickly evacuate as many as 50 patients in a medical ward of the Safdarjung Hospital, including five in critical care. While no fatalities were reported in this fire, which started as a result of a short circuit, much equipment was damaged. In fact, both data and fire officials are consistent that the most basic cause of these fires is a short circuit.
According to the DFS's data accessed by Millennium Post, firefighters attended to 66 fire calls in hospitals, nursing homes and dispensaries throughout 2019. This number had dropped to 38 in the following year. But this year, the DFS has already received half a dozen fire calls from hospitals and healthcare centres.
According to fire officials, "Evacuation and firefighting in the initial stages of a fire is a key to survival and its significance only increases when occupants of a building are patients." The data further shows that more than 85 people were rescued safely in these two years from these incidents.
"In 2019- five people, 2020- 13 people and in the current year till March more than 65 people were safely rescued from institutions," the data showed. Only one fatal fire was reported at such an institution in 2020.
An official had earlier told Millennium Post that the wiring of a house or other institutions needs to be replaced when electrical appliances increase as outdated wiring cannot handle the growing number of electrical appliances and an overload can cause a fire quite easily.
As per the official, while undertaking rescue work at hospitals, they take proper precautions to ensure the safety of patients and ensure that they are removed to a safe place as soon as possible.
Atul Garg, the director of Delhi Fire Services, said it would in the public interest that all occupants and employees of nursing homes and hospitals undergo at least the basic fire safety training to keep themselves acquainted with the evacuation and fire fighting process in cases of emergencies.
Last month, the DFS had proposed to conduct a half-day basic firefighting training programme at the Fire Safety Management Academy in Rohini. They had advised the owners of nursing homes and hospitals to nominate their staff either directly or through their respective associations for their basic firefighting training. One official said the training had started at the academy.
