A fire outbreak inside your home or residential complex can be one of the scariest incidents one can experience. It is a significant hazard that people living in building and townships need to consider and prevent in today’s times of vertical growth of cities. Needless to say, it has become imperative for new home buyers to ensure their dream house is fire-compliant.
DIY: The best way!
Fireproofing your home should be your utmost priority if you want to keep your family members safe! There are some of the primary ways you can do it yourself before and after moving into your safe haven. Live your life and keep everything rigged in your favour by following simple steps and stay hassle-free.
Home-owners can adhere to some basic guidelines to keep themselves safe from any fire incidence:
- Before moving into an apartment, check with your developer about the observance to fire security measures in the building. It is vital to make sure the project has received a No-Objection Certificate from the Fire Department.
- All the floors should be fitted with fire extinguishers. The residents must be demonstrated on how to operate these extinguishers in case of any emergency.
- There must be periodic maintenance to ensure all fire alarms, smoke detectors, water sprinklers and fire extinguishers are in working condition.
- In common areas such as the basement, parking lot and staircases where highly combustible things are generally stored, it is essential to ensure that there are enough sprinklers.
- Every corridor and floor must possess an escape-route map. The residents must be familiarised with these exit plans and routes.
- Regularly service your appliances inside the home, especially those in the kitchen, to ensure they are in good working condition.
- Check the electrical wiring inside the house regularly.
Choose complexes wisely!
Exotic stay and luxurious living can be taken a notch-higher if safety is ensured. When you choose to move into an apartment, look for the provisions for fireproofing that the developers have worked on. Keep hazards at bay!
As developers, there are also specific prerequisites to ensure a fire-safe building right from the design to the completed stage. The salient ones include:
- Ensure there are enough exit routes in any building complex, as specified in the National Building Code of India (NBC), 2005.
- As part of fire safety norms, NBC also mentions how much distance a person must travel to reach the nearest fire exit. Photoluminescent signage must be employed to facilitate evacuation at night.
- Sufficient open spaces around residential complexes are necessary for the free movement and operation of Fire Services vehicles. For example, if the building’s height is 9.5 metres- 12 metres, the minimum open space around the building must be 4.5 metres.
- The entire complex must be appropriately fitted with automatic fire alarm systems. In the case of high-rise buildings, the installation of automated water sprinkler systems is mandatory.
- All specified fire exits must be devoid of any obstruction.
- In addition to the regular lifts for the residents, high-rise building must have separate lifts exclusively to be used by firemen in case of a fire outbreak.
- Regular drills should be initiated to educate the inmates of the building about operating the fire extinguishers as well as evacuation strategies.
Arrjavv: Safety first
Reputed developers like Arrjavv always adhere to the specified building guidelines related to fire safety protocols for their residential complexes. All its buildings are constructed using high-quality materials conforming to the guidelines established by the Bureau of Indian Standard as well as armed with all other necessary certifications. After all, the safety and happiness of its customers is the numero uno priority of this leading real estate Group in eastern India!