Fire fear in Kochi hospitals

KOCHI:  In the wake of the devastating fire at AMRI hospital in South  Kolkata where over 70 persons were killed, it is feared that the hospitals  in Kochi are more or equally vulnerable to fire as most of them are not equipped to meet the emergency. The Fire and Rescue officials had recently alerted these hospitals to  maintain proper fire precautions but nothing has been done yet.Sources in the Fire and Rescue Services said the hospitals don’t have any  kind of fire and safety requirements. “The Indian Buildings Act and the Kerala Buildings Act clearly state that a building should be constructed only with all kinds of fire and safety precautions. Even if hospitals make any kind of alteration in the construction or make extensions, they should get the permission of the Fire and Safety Department. Though we suggest more fire and safety measures, our words are never taken seriously,” a Fire and Rescue  official said.According to Joe Kuruvilla, senior officer, Fire and Rescue Department, the  major problem in Kochi is that most hospitals were built several decades ago without safety steps. “The hospitals here are mostly built several years ago. They are multi-storied buildings and any kind of fire at top floors will be disastrous. A hospital at South has been build in the congested space and in case of a fire, even the fire engines cannot enter the premises of the building,” Joe Kuruvilla said.