- Challenges, capabilities, and future solutions for SL
Fire-related safety is one of the crucial characteristics of high-rise building safety. Emerging natural or man-made disasters may challenge human life and properties, inculcated by the adversaries who engage with high-rise buildings, and it is prompt and prudent that we should address firefighting in high-rise buildings.
Recently, several incidents were reported worldwide pertinent to high-rise buildings and fortunately, very few such incidents were reported in Sri Lanka, but, this should not hinder any preparedness since prevention is better than cure. In this context, the most vulnerable issue is rapid fire and smoke spread, which is particularly heightened due to the architectural vertical nature. The design of staircases of buildings is hindered due to the upward movement of smoke and heat. Due to the increase in population density, the requirement for building spaces, and the development of the economy, it is obvious that high-rise building requirements increase day by day. The issue is that most of the government and private entities are located in so-called high-rise buildings and with the fire situation, the respective authorities should identify the ability to carry out firefighting, search and rescue operations, and ways and means to restore the function of entities to continue their service.
Comprehensive or complicated fire system
There is no doubt that every building has a fire risk, but, high-rise buildings have a particularly high fire risk. It is necessary to project the fire system as per the guidelines of the Fire Service Department before the initial stage of construction. The installation of fire systems in high-rise buildings is a costly business and the majority concentrates on only fulfilling the minimum fire safety requirement of addressing the fire regulations and guidelines only. Therefore, the present practices of the fire system may not address the expected level of fire safety. A comprehensive fire system is paramount to high-rise buildings because of the structure it has. The elevators, gas pipelines, electrical lines, cables, and stairways are some of the structural materials within the building and due to the vertical structure of the structure, fire spreads quickly rather than in a ground level structure. The evacuation procedure of the building is the most important part during the fire, and it would delay due to the speed of the spreading fire and the limited space and time available. A solid fire system should be installed in high-rise buildings to address the issue.
Fire policies for high-rise buildings
In Sri Lanka, a high-rise building is described as a building between 30 metres (m) to 60 m in height, and a super high-rise building is described as more than 60 m in height. In the recent decade, a number of high-rise buildings emerged in Sri Lanka, and many are to be constructed. It is high time to seek and explore the performance or underperformance of the fire regulations or the fire policies. Building owners and responsible stakeholders give less attention to installing effective fire systems because of the cost and only try to cover the minimum legal requirement. The riskiest point is that there is the possibility of bending the law and precaution would be paid for by innocent people. At this juncture, it is essential to address needful adjustment for fire regulations pertinent to high-rise buildings.
Our present capabilities
Considering modern technology and compared to other countries, Sri Lanka fire fields use very basic actions to engage in firefighting. Theoretically, it is the vastly discussed First Aid Fire Appliances (FAFAs), and for high-rise building firefighting, it has very less countability. The responsible authorities have to identify whether our fire engines or Turntable Ladders are capable enough to firefight in high-rise buildings; it is questionable.
Every high-rise building has its unique firefighting plan and the effectiveness of the plan depends on fire detection systems, fire hydrant systems, fire suppression systems, solid communication systems, FAFAs, staircase pressurisation systems, maintaining the serviceability status of the fire equipment, number of fire drills and evacuation drills conducted, and many more. There is no point to fulfilling one or two requirements and it is mandatory to cover all aspects for fewer casualties or damage and it is essential to identify whether we have fulfilled these requirements in a timely manner.
In an emergency, the people on the ground look for the firefighters or other rescue personnel for assistance. In this context, firefighting agencies have very little capability to engage with firefighting and rescue victims from the outside.
How to enhance fire safety in a modern context?
Considering the present capabilities of the firefighting agencies and the vulnerability of high-rise buildings to fire, the following points are suggested for the issue.
- Establish a unified fire command and fire control operation centre with the collaboration of the Fire Brigade, the Disaster Management Center, the Tri-Forces Services, the Police, and other stakeholders to quickly respond and manage the situation with the available resources.
- Introduce qualified and well-trained firefighters with helicopters to be utilised for the firefighting and rescue operations (preferably the Sri Lanka Air Force).
- Introduce drones for real-time aerial information regarding fire and to deploy the right resources for firefighting.
- Maintain the unified and standardised fire equipment in the fire system following the guidelines issued by the National Fire Protection Association or the Institution of Fire Engineers.
- As per the instructions, regular fire evacuation drills, fire awareness programs, and regular fire safety inspections in high-rise buildings are to be conducted with the participation of qualified resource personnel.
- To enhance the teamwork of fire and rescue and disaster response agencies, conduct firefighting drills and evacuation drills with the participation of the responsible agencies and action is to be taken for drawbacks.
Conclusion
The utilisation of high-rise buildings may be for living, working, or commercial purposes. Large-scale fire incidents still have not occurred in the history of Sri Lanka. Consequently, fire safety has not received sufficient attention or experience-based refinement. It is obvious that there are gaps to be addressed considering national requirements as well as the security landscape. A considerable amount of the economy is based on tourism and foreign investments and after a large-scale fire incident, the fire-related regulations on high-rise buildings and measures for the firefighting in our context will be questionable. Due to all these reasons, therefore, Sri Lanka’s urban landscape should equip a proactive approach to fire safety in high-rise buildings; it is not just prudent but imperative. The effective implementation of fire regulations and technological modernisation are crucial to safeguarding lives, investments, and the country’s global reputation.
(The writer is a Military Research Officer at the Institute of National Security Studies under the Ministry of Defence. Opinions expressed are his own and not necessarily reflective of the institute or the ministry)
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The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of this publication
