Hospital fire-fighting facilities take baby steps

The minister said that fire-fighting equipment would be provided to the Institute of Child Health and Hospital for Children (ICH) and the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Government Hospital for Women and Children at a cost of Rs 4.10 crore and ramp facilities at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) and Government Dental College Hospital in the city, and Government Medical College in Villupuram at a cost of Rs 6.36 crore.

However, according to experts, more needs to be done. Stressing on the challenges involved in evacuating patients during a fire emergency, Dr R Jayanthi, Dean, RGGGH, said, “It is not easy for patients to get up and run down or come to an assembling area. They won’t be able to run for safety either. It is a very big challenge as far as hospitals are concerned. The volume of a crowd also is an important factor to take into consideration. The main cause of concern is the oxygen units that are there at the hospitals. That makes hospitals a vulnerable area in the case of a fire.”

“We have very stringent regulations on fire safety. Any building should have its own inherent features in the case of a fire. We have almost complied with all the features. However, some of our old buildings may not have ramps. We are planning to connect the old buildings to the new ones. Some of them have already been done, while the rest is in the process. It is mandatory to have ramps,” she added.

Jawaharlal Shanmugam, who had filed a Public Interest Litigation demanding fire-fighting facilities in hospital buildings, said, “The equipment should be available both inside and outside the building. It is ideal to have hydrant systems, so that in case of any eventuality, people will have easy access to all these hydrants.”

“The outside hydrant is known as the yard hydrant which is in the periphery of the building or surrounding the building near to the compound wall,” he added. He stressed on the fact that the very purpose of having the yard hydrant outside is that the hose can be attached to the wall and start pumping water from outside if need be.

“Inside the building, you have got the hose system and the down comer. The piping system is based on the surface area. The hose – the nozzle and tube of which will go up to 13 metres inside the building - will come from that piping system. Besides, the building would need to have smoke detectors which will be connected to a call point – to alert the fire department of the fire,” he said.

He also emphasised on the importance of sprinklers, AC dampers and emergency staircases, besides the presence of a ramp on the outside of the building. “Not only are these ramps important, it is also essential to ensure that certain standards are followed. The patient’s cot should have wheels, without which the point of the ramp is lost. The ramp should be seven feet and depending on the length, the gradient should be maintained. It should not be steep, but gradual and it should have railings and an anti-skid floor. There should also be emergency lights and good ventilation. The ramp should be on the outside of the building,” he added.

Talking about other important requirements for a safe evacuation, he said, “There should be a clear signage for people indicating where the ramp, the exit and the staircase are. Outside the building, there should be an evacuation zone and a set-back area as well.”

Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan, said that this is just a start, “We are continuously inspecting all the hospitals and will take such steps based on the requirements.”