It was July 4, early morning. The night shifts were over in the packaging and printing factory. Workers had packed up to go home, while those for the day shift got in and got working.
The packaging industry was quite large, having a number of floors. The industrial area was well organized, with its own fire fighters, fire engines, and a well laid out fire hydrant system. Regular check ups of the hydrant system, internal extinguishers, and other equipment were done over the years.
But in spite of all that, an accidental fire broke out. An operator working inside called the internal fire station to inform about the fire. Workers could all escape safely. No one exactly knows how it was initiated, but it spread at an unbelievable speed. The all-engulfing fire worked its way through all paper and paper-based material -- dry and highly combustible.
In no time, the three-storey factory building got engulfed in fire and smoke. The fire fighters arrived within a few minutes and began dousing the fire. They started running along the periphery of the factory as the fire spread in all directions. At the same time, people started calling all their own fire fighters in other sister concerns spread along the river bank. Within half an hour, 11 of their fire engines, along with around 150 fire fighters, reached and got on the job.
They also called the local fire brigade, who responded instantly and brought in a total of 13 fire engines. Later, their big vehicle carrying the turntable ladder also joined and started pouring in water on specific points from atop. Their latest addition -- a track mounted robot driven fire engine -- was quite useful, as it could go inside while there was still thick smoke, and spray water in multiple directions with tremendous force.
By 10am, it appeared that the fire was under control. Scattered smoke was still coming out from different locations of the factory. But suddenly, the third floor started erupting in huge volleys of fire, rising high up through windows and the rooftop. This was because resin, a highly combustible substance, a raw material for plastic bottles and jars, caught fire and spread further very quickly.
Fire fighters -- both internal and those from the fire brigade -- worked relentlessly to bring the fire under control. In addition to the obvious hazard involved in fire fighting, the physical fatigue is tremendous. The fire fighters, in their thick fire proof aprons and helmet, look very smart, strong, and agile, but only a few minutes in such suits and gear is good enough to exhaust anybody.
The day-long hard work got people exhausted. The factory admin managed to supply food and water to them, and urged them to stop and rest to be able to continue working again.
For effective fire prevention, it has to be a smart combination of both human and artificial intelligence. A modern industry must have provisions such as smoke, heat detectors, and alarm systems and sprinklers to go off automatically to tackle the fire instantly. Sensitive items such as important business documents, computers having sensitive data, etc may need to be put inside rooms with enhanced safety features, such as fire preventive wall and fire proof door.
But, again, nothing is foolproof. These need considerable investment for installation and maintenance, yet could malfunction any time. For effective monitoring and instant reaction, there is no alternative to vigilant human presence and timely intervention.
Water reservoirs are vital to such a system. Storage tanks with sufficient capacity and pumps having alternative power sources are a must.
When it comes to storage of raw material and finished goods, the good practices include keeping sufficient distance from the walls, a gap in between stacks to make movement inside possible, and a gap from the roof at the prescribed safety margin. Segregation is another good idea to make sure everything does not fall prey to the fire simultaneously.
Earmarking people responsible in each production floor round the clock in shifts is a must. It is very common that individuals involved in production and operation are hardly bothered about such crucial safety aspects. They don’t have time to pay attention to such important details which may prove fatal and devastating when an accidental fire strikes.
There are hose reels and hydrant points inside and around the factory. But the question is, is there any insider in that particular floor who, in an emergency, can roll out the hose, connect it with the hydrant outlet, and turn the wheel to get the water gushing? There are fire extinguishers mounted on the walls at a prescribed distance. Are there enough employees who can take out the device, remove the safety pin, point it to the fire, and start spraying?
Mock fire practices are conducted, alright, but are there efforts put into carrying out meticulous head count of all employees in a particular section, to make sure every individual is accounted for in an emergency? At the pump station, the alternative pump run on diesel is put on auto-switch to make it operational instantly when there is a power failure. Is the circuit board's functionality checked regularly? The underground hydrant line was set up ten years back. There could be leakages, causing a fall in pressure. Are there efforts to identify such leakage, rectify those and, if need be, replace the pipelines?
The amount of money and resources an entrepreneur is required to spend to take care of such safety requirements may seem prohibitively high. But if sufficient measures are taken and prescribed good practices are resorted to, these can prove vital in evading such crises, or can substantially reduce risk and damage even if they happen.
For effective deterrence against fire incidents, awareness is an aspect which can hardly be over-emphasized. This has to be made into a routine. Precautionary and protective measures against smoking, use of mosquito coils, and other sources of open fire must be strictly prohibited and controlled.
While the entrepreneurs are required to invest considerably for installation and maintenance of fire-fighting gears and up-keep of trained manpower, it is up to the managers on ground to pay attention to minor details and observe vigilance to make preventive measures effective, early detection possible, and ensure effective fire fighting in case of incidents of fire.
Brig Gen Qazi Abidus Samad, ndc, psc (Retd) is a freelance contributor. Email: showkat1959@gmail.com.