Aesthetics and location are the two primary factors that go into judging a building’s worth in India. But a key factor that is often forgotten is safety. The latest National Building Code (NBC) of India guides builders and architects on fire safety, along with recommendations to all civil and structural layouts design.
“Awareness has increased over the past decade. The infrastructure and real estate boom is responsible for this. There is a demand for superior quality safety measures,” says N S Narendra, chairman and managing director, of Firepro Systems, which installs fire protection and security system in buildings.
“Apart from installation of security systems, buildings, whether residential or commercial, also need to have adequate fire escape means,” said architect Nayantara Nair.
Though most modern buildings incorporate this, experts say there should be back-ups as well. The US-based Hermes Steel Enterprises has come up with a novel concept of emergency escape vertical chutes, which offers an external independent operation to bring the occupants safely to the ground.
“Most buildings have emergency fire escapes, but they are not well lit. People tend to panic. Our device is a double safety measure,” says Ashok Kumar, chairman and managing director, Hermes Steel Enterterprises, manufacturers of the device.
For malls, where footfalls are normally high, installation of an emergency escape chute would ensure easy evacuaation of a large number of people. The cost of the installation would be Rs 2 lakh per floor depending on the height of the building.
“For buildings under construction, this could be a part of their disaster management programme only. But for existing buildings, slight alterations would ensure proper installation of the chutes,” says Ashok
Kumar. The company is in talks with many developers to create an awareness of this system.
According to him the chute can be used everywhere — at office towers, schools, hospitals and malls. “Depending on the height of the building, the requirement of the number of chutes is determined. For instance, two chutes will be required for a 14-storey building,” he added.
The fabric chute is attached to a metal frame and held together with support belts. It is designed to evacuate people in times of fire and earthquake. The spiral construction of the chute allows several people in a continuous order to descend without blockage. The law of friction and gravity keeps bodies with different weights apart in equal distance (two minutes per person for a 30-metre descent).
The weight of the chute system and all people in it, is supported by five independent support belts, which guarantee an equal distribution of the pulling force. The outer cloth is UVA and flame resistant as well as water repellent. “We are in talks with fire brigade officials so that they can incorporate the system in their rescue operations. It will save a lot of time and effort,” Ashok Kumar said.