As the
construction industry grows, awareness towards fire safety is increasing rapidly. With regulatory standards becoming more stringent, government is trying to lay emphasis on a preventive approach towards
fire safety in addition to boosting the capability in rescue operations. 13 percent of the country’s GDP will come from the real estate sector by 2026. The top cities in India have witnessed a rapid increase in gross office absorption at a rate of 26 percent in the recent times before the advent of Covid-19 pandemic and it is expected to continue growing once the wave of pandemic recedes.
Fire safety systems are in high demand in industries like mining, oil & gas exploration, energy & power, automotive, and construction. Given the fact that oil, gas, and mining sector involves inflammable material, the level of fire safety to be adopted is significantly higher in these industry sectors compared to other segments. These verticals need advanced fire protection systems as a case of fire in these areas can result in massive destruction of life and property.
Hence, in order to prevent accidents, the level of efficiency and sophistication in fire detection and prevention systems must be extremely high. In comparison to conventional heat or smoke devices, novel fire protection systems are much better equipped in response to an event of fire. The new age fire sensors and detectors can prove to be life savers for commercial as well as residential buildings.
Regulatory Compliance
When it comes to regulations, an increasing strictness is evident considering the fact that they are an important part of the fire safety ecosystem. Several regulations pertaining to worker safety have been laid down by the government in order to prevent accidents, fulfilling the obligation of promulgating health and safety guidelines. Fire safety being a state subject is included in 12th Schedule of the Constitution of India, under the provisions of Article 243W of the Constitution, and different states have different guidelines for it. The National Building Code (NBC) is the fundamental model code in India that has to be followed while building construction to ensure fire safety. The objective of NBC is to make sure that the minimum standards of fire safety are met by building users and at the same time to ensure that the fire safety equipment meet the quality requirements and are certified under BIS Certification Marks Scheme.
“In many cases, the existing norms are not fully followed. But in the commercial sector, corporates and large companies are doing a fairly good job in using the necessary fire safety and prevention solutions,” said Tony Alex, Co-Founder of Trident Automation Systems to Asmag.
In accordance with the regulations and looking to meet the demand for fire safety equipment, several companies are making products that are capable of preventing and responding to fire. With time, the market for such equipment is expected to grow further with changing regulations and increasing safety concerns owing to rising awareness amongst users.
