Noida: As there are back-to-back fire incidents taking place in the high rises, the Chief Fire Officer of Gautam Budh Nagar on June 10, 2024, Monday held a meeting with the Noida Federation of Apartment Owners Associations (NOFAA).
Pradeep Kumar Chaubey, Chief Fire Officer, informed that around 130 high rises in the district lag behind in keeping up with fire safety compliance, and laid stress on the need for residents to participate in mock drills and be educated on fire hazards.
NOFAA representatives also shared some points with the fire officials
The NOFAA officials shared very important points which included their concerns about regular fire safety, preparedness of the fire department, and residents’ involvement in awareness programmes besides enquiring if emergency choppers could also be pressed into service if required.
The fire officer shared that a survey conducted by his department in around 330 high rises of the district found that about 130 of them lacked the Fire NOC (no objection certificate).
Pradeep Chaubey, CFO, says, “We sought NOFAA’s support and suggested holding daily interactions. It was also pointed out that few people attend fire-fighting training sessions. We want them to take the initiative and educate themselves about fire hazards through our help. They demanded maps from us. But we provided the federation with our direct contact details so that in case of any concern, they can reach out to us directly.“
He continues, “We urged NOFAA to take cognisance of the matter and direct such high rises to get their NOCs done.“
Fire NOCs usually need to be renewed periodically, depending on local regulations. In the case of GB Nagar, the NOCs are issued for five years.
Rajiva Singh, President, NOFAA shared that during this first-ever official meeting with the fire department, 12 points were submitted.
Rajiva Singh says, “We discussed the need to create fire safety programmes. However, the CFO raised the point of low participation of residents being a big challenge. We also wanted the authority to inform AOAs on the type of compliances one can get due to persisting confusion about it.“
The president also sought to know from the fire chief if disaster management teams and emergency choppers could be deployed in case of fire at high-rise societies. There was no immediate and substantive response except that such avenues could be explored in the future.
Recent cases of fire in high-rises
Within at least 10 days, These societies were subjected to short circuits in air conditioners (AC) which sparked a fire inside the apartment.
Noida’s Supertech Capetown society in sector 74,
Eldeco Aamantran Society in sector 119
Lotus Boulevard in Sector 100
It forced the Noida Police should issue a public advisory to not operate ACs continuously and get them serviced regularly to prevent their overheating and subsequent fire risks.
In the meantime Prof Rajesh Sahay, General Secretary, NOFAA requested the fire department to check availability and quality of the levels of all fire safety equipments of high rise buildings before issuing NOC to builders.