Hospitals to get fire unit notice

March 12: The fire and emergency department is planning to issue notices to several super-specialty hospitals in the city that are blatantly violating fire safety norms.These hospitals have been functioning happily without obtaining the mandatory no-objection certificate from the department. They also have branches all over the city.

The department had issued alerts to more than 20 such hospitals in city and is now planning to issue them notices asking them to comply with fire safety norms within 30 days.If the hospitals don’t take necessary steps, the department will launch prosecution. As per rules the defaulting hospitals can even be seized.“An opportunity will be given to all hospital authorities to install fire safety measures,” said the additional district fire officer, Mr P. Mohan Reddy.

“If that is not done, we will prosecute them. The Act has enough teeth and we can even seize and close the premises if the instructions are not complied with.”Sources said that the department may even extend the deadline to three months to give ample time to the hospitals to implement safety measures. Rules stipulate that every hospital must have at least three fire extinguishers in its premises and proper emergency exit. But no super-specialty hospital has followed these rules.Fire officials warn that a major disaster would occur if fire breaks out in any of these hospitals.