IEEMA extends focus on electrical fire safety

Organised Electrical Fire Safety Conclave in Mumbai for integrated solutions on fire protection and security.

IEEMA organised its first edition of “Electrical Fire Safety Conclave” on 29th June in Mumbai. The conclave emphasised on various aspects of electrical risk management, improper maintenance and ignorance of the safety precautions during their use which leads to fire accident due to lack of awareness or knowledge.

In the Indian scenario, data shows that the majority of industrial disasters and commercial or household fires are a result of electrical short circuits. These electrical short circuits cause fires in the electrical appliances or electrical fittings, which rapidly spread through flames via the connecting electrical wires to the surrounding rooms or halls and combustible furniture, etc.

Shreegopal Kabra, President, IEEMA said, “In the last six years, there have been 29,140 fire incidents in Mumbai in which 300 people have died and 925 people have been injured. Although the regulatory and statutory framework in terms of the Electricity Act, electricity rules and the Central Electricity Authority Regulations have been framed and now even the National Building Code has devoted a portion on electrical safety of buildings, but there is felt a need to understand the concept of electrical risk management as most of the electrical accidents, which incidentally have a 40 per cent fatality rate and loss to exchequer which runs into billions of rupees, arise due to lack of awareness or knowledge. Thus, through this conclave, the experts from the industry focused on integrated solutions for fire protection and security.”

Sunil Misra, Director General, IEEMA opined, “During the last one decade there was a vibrant growth in the constructions activities in India, especially in high-rise buildings. Thousands of high-rise buildings have already constructed in metros and major cities in India, and thousands are under construction. Because of its peculiar nature, fire in residential buildings in particular, high rise buildings become more complex and the salvaging operations become more difficult and sometimes even resulting in many deaths and huge property losses. Considering increasing number of incidents IEEMA came up with the idea of this conclave and in near future more conclaves are being lined up in rest of the part of country.”

The conclave was organised in collaboration with Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt. of India (MHA), Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Central Electricity authority (CEA), National Association of Fire Officers (NAFO), and Fire and Security Association of India (FSAI).

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