BENGALURU: With Deepavali around the corner, the fire and emergency services department has increased vigilance and is enforcing stringent safety protocols for firecracker stalls, especially in the wake of last year’s firecracker blast mishap in Attibele in which 17 people lost their lives.
However, the department’s three-day training programme to educate wholesalers and retailers on safety measures that they should follow has witnessed poor response.
Senior department officials told The New Indian Express that all cracker stalls must have requisite safety equipment.
The department has issued a circular outlining the safety measures that must be included while setting up temporary cracker stalls. The stalls should have a minimum of 10x10-sqft space and should be built only with non-combustible materials. There should be two doors -- one at the front and another at the back. Each shop should keep a five-metre gap from others.
Stall owners should mandatorily keep fire extinguishers, sand, buckets, a first-aid kit and 200 litres of water in drums, the circular said.
There should also be ‘No Smoking’ boards. They should also have the emergency contact numbers of the fire department and the jurisdictional police.
A senior officer said they have instructed retail shop owners not to use their outlet space for cooking and electric stoves. Shops should not store gas cylinders, waste paper or packaging material and use only ISI-marked electrical wires. The department has also advised retail store owners to install smoke or heat detectors and fire alarms.
Another officer said cracker stall owners should undergo the three-day training programme. The training covers topics such as types of crackers, their explosive potential and preventive measures to minimise risks.
He added that minor accidents can be avoided if stall owners and workers are properly trained. However, no shop keepers have come forward to attend the programme, he said.
Before the stalls are set up, the fire department will inspect the areas to ensure that there is adequate open space with a minimum six-metre space for unobstructed movement of fire tenders and to check if the stalls are away from residential areas and school premises.
“The fire department will deploy fire tenders as a precautionary measure near the stalls. Failure to adhere to safety protocols could result in the cancellation of licences and potential legal action,” the officer added.