Patna: A total of 225 fire incident hotspots have been identified across Bihar during a review meeting conducted by the Bihar State Disaster Management Authority (BSDMA) on Tuesday. The meeting reviewed fire prevention measures, public awareness campaigns, mock drills, fire safety arrangements in hospitals and public places, and the preparedness levels of districts.
Officials were directed to conduct a special review of major hospitals in Patna and coaching institutes operating in the Musallahpur Haat and Bahadurpur areas of the state capital. Serious concern was expressed over inadequate fire safety arrangements in hospitals and crowded public places.
Short Circuits as Primary Cause
BSDMA vice-chairman Uday Kant said short circuits had emerged as the primary cause behind most fire incidents in the state. He said instructions were issued to carry out electrical safety audits in densely populated localities, hospitals, malls, coaching institutes, and old buildings.
Officials have also been asked to promote the use of safety devices such as MCBs and ELCBs, Uday added.
Districts Reporting Electrical Faults
Several districts, including Champaran, Darbhanga, Sitamarhi, Muzaffarpur, and Patna, reported that the majority of recent fire incidents were linked to electrical faults. BSDMA secretary Md Waris Khan, senior officials of various departments, additional collectors (disaster management), district fire officers, and other officials attended the meeting.
16-Point Fire Safety Checklist
All districts were instructed to ensure inspections in hospitals, malls, cinema halls, coaching institutes, and other public buildings using a comprehensive 16-point fire safety checklist.
Awareness Campaigns Showing Results
The meeting noted that extensive awareness campaigns, mock drills, street plays, LED publicity, and social media outreach conducted by the fire services department were showing encouraging signs of reducing major fire incidents.
Community Involvement
The rural development department and JEEViKA also proposed regular fire safety programmes at around 18,000 cluster-level federation centres across the state with the involvement of JEEViKA Didis, anganwadi workers, ASHA workers, and panchayat representatives.
