FIRE SAFE COACHES ON THE ANVIL

The administration has got serious on safety of rail passengers. Kapurthala has developed five coaches using fire-retardant materials and roof-mounted air conditioning package units with reverse cycle feature for heating arrangements besides automatic smoke detection. As per reports, improved materials have been used for electrical fittings and fixtures such as MCB (Miniature Circuit Breaker), light fittings, terminal boards, connectors.

Fire-retardant material is being used in coach furnishing, while fire extinguishers are now installed in rail coaches for passenger safety. The RCF is the first unit in the Indian Railways to have manufactured a roof-mounted AC unit in 1992. Roof-mounted package units maintain temperature and humidity to the comfort level inside the air-conditioned coaches.

The culture of safety is welcome in any environment. Be it stagnant as in enclosed spaces or moving as in these coaches, safety is imperative and non-negotiable. That is why the NBC has issued strict guidelines on safety related issues to be observed by builders, developers, planners and architects right from the planning stage till the said construction is erect and active.