20210420 Karnataka: Fuel stations in twin cities susceptible to fire tragedy
India Apr 20 2021 “Automobile & Railway” “Building” “Other”
Dead : dead 0 or unknown Burnout : 0 or unknown Injured : injured 0 or unknown
Karnataka: Fuel stations in twin cities susceptible to fire tragedy
Updated: 2021-04-20
HUBBALLI: A fire that broke out recently at a Hubballi fuel station has turned the spotlight on the safety measures or lack thereof at similar establishments across the twin cities. During the incident in question, a tragedy was averted when a fire engulfed a van.
Many fuel stations are situated in congested areas across the twin cities, which means that a fire would spread quickly. Although officials of oil companies repeatedly claim that staff are trained in managing a fire before they are assigned to a specific station, many employees said that they had not been imparted these skills.
Safety measures leave a lot to be desired in some fuel stations across Hubballi-Dharwad, and employees’ lack of training complicates the issue further. The safety norms stipulate that there be two 10kg cylinders of dry chemical powder near ach dispensing unit. However, many fuel stations did not have enough of these boxes. Worse still, many employees at the fuel stations admitted to not having participated in mock drills, and confessed to being unfamiliar with handling a fire extinguisher.
Union minister for parliamentary affairs and Dharwad MP Pralhad Joshi had urged all the companies to ensure adherence to the safety norms in the wake of the recent incident. Dharwad district in-charge minister Jagadish Shettar said that he would speak to officials concerned and seek a report on compliance to safety norms at fuel stations. “We will verify whether employees are being trained in fire management, and direct companies to conduct a survey on safety norms,” the minister said. Karnataka chief fire officer Eshwar Nayak said that the owners of fuel stations approached them to obtain a non-objection certificate at the time of opening them. “Once they obtain the NOC from us, the oil companies themselves run safety tests on a regular basis,” he said.
Meanwhile, a senior official of Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) in Hubballi said that the staff at the fuel station where the fire was reported had doused the fire to some extent prior to the arrival of the fire brigade. He said that the staff had followed the standard operating procedure, and displayed much courage in tackling the fire. “All employees working at IOCL outlets are trained in fire management soon after they join,” he added.
Web Source: The Times of India