Fire Safety – What’s New & Happening

We live in a global village today with lightning information dissemination highways. Fire accidents worldwide teach us something new to avoid or imbibe every time to sharpen our safety preparedness. We browse here some of the happenings that are bound to raise awareness and eyebrows too.

·        Feb 7^th: Former Haryana Minister Manish Grover and five others sustained burns when some balloons filled with an inflammable gas burst after catching fire during an event at Anaj Mandi where an 85-foot Tricolour was to be unfurled. All those who sustained burns were provided medical treatment, they said. "Luckily, no one sustained serious burn injuries," said a police official. 

·        Feb 9^th: A major fire broke out in at least four factories in the Taloja industrial area in Navi Mumbai on Tuesday, a senior official said. No casualty is reported so far in the fire that is yet to be brought under control since it broke out around 11:51 AM, said Santosh Kadam, chief, Regional Disaster Management Cell (RDMC), Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC). As per preliminary information, the blaze erupted at a factory and spread to three adjacent units that deal in acid, packaging and fabrication. 

·        Feb 10^th: Four people were injured after a major fire broke out in a godown in Mumbai’s suburban Andheri neighbourhood. The fire caused LPG cylinders stored there to explode, officials said, adding some neighbourhood houses also suffered damage. The injured were taken to the nearby Cooper Hospital, officials said, adding that the fire was put out after four hours around 1.30 pm. Two of the four injured persons sustained 40 per cent burns while another two sustained 60 per cent injuries. A civic official said 16 fire brigade vehicles, including water jetties, were used for firefighting. According to officials, several LPG cylinders were stored in the godown and many of them burst while the blaze was being doused.

·        Feb12^th: Toppan Printing (Japan) has developed a fire extinguishing film that responds to heat by emitting aerosol particles. The fire extinguishing film is targeted at manufacturers of batteries and electrical appliances. With applications for rechargeable batteries expanding to such fields as mobile devices and mobility, lithium-ion batteries are becoming more widely used and offering higher power levels. However, this increases the risk of fire-related accidents, not only during use but also after disposal.  Toppan has combined its advanced coating technologies and transparent vapor-deposited GL BARRIER film with a highly effective fire extinguishing agent from Yamato Protec Corporation to produce an adhesive film with long-term durability and workability.