NEW DELHI: In view of the recent fire at AIIMS, the Delhi Fire Service (DFS) has plans to start a three-day crash course for staff of hospitals.
The DFS will charge a minimal amount for the training, importantly the NOC for the establishment will also be based on intimation given to the DFS that such staff is available with them.
According to the director of the DFS Vipin Kental, the crash course for the guest houses workers has already been conducted in the past after the Arpit Palace hotel fire in Karol Bagh which claimed lives of more than a dozen many people.
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“We will be publishing an advertisement in this regard the crash course will focus on the different aspects of fire-fighting. The hospitals can pay minimal fee for getting their staff trained. We will start with batches of 40 people” said the DFS director.
It has been noticed often that the staff working in hospitals, guest houses and other such establishments do not know how to use fire extinguishers or unlock fire exit doors.
“Part of training would also focus on handling the equipment and what to do first in case of fire. This will be part of the NOC process where the owners will be asked to inform the number of employees which have undergone such training” added Kental.
After the fire at Arpit Palace hotel, many NOCs in hotels were cancelled and some others were given show-cause notice.
Similarly the AIIMS fire has raised questions on the fire safety preparedness of hospitals in the national capital which include five major government-run hospitals and around 600 private hospitals.
Safety missing
Delhi Fire Department had said that the AIIMS building that caught fire, did not have the requisite No Objection Certificate (NOC) which is a mandatory fire safety document.