Field GuideArticle | Recurring Patterns Hindering India’s Fire Safety Ecosystem by Safety Saarthi Private Limited from Pune,India.
When we move beyond headlines and investigations, a clear pattern emerges.
India does not lack fire safety codes. What we lack is systemic implementation, accountability, and continuity.
Across commercial buildings, industries, hospitals, residential towers, malls, and public venues, the same six gaps repeatedly surface.
Electrical faults remain the leading cause of fires across India.
Common triggers include:
Overloaded circuits
Outdated wiring systems
Improper cable sizing
Poor earthing
Lack of preventive maintenance
In many buildings, electrical systems expand with load demand but without redesign or safety upgrades. Temporary solutions become permanent risks.
🔍 Reality check:
An electrical system designed for yesterday’s load cannot safely support today’s operations.
While active systems fight fire, Passive Fire Protection controls its spread. Unfortunately, PFP is still widely misunderstood or completely ignored.
Most buildings lack:
Fire-rated doors
Proper compartmentation
Intumescent coatings on steel structures
Fire-stopping sealants
Correctly sealed cable and service penetrations
Without PFP:
Smoke travels freely
Fire spreads across floors rapidly
Evacuation routes become lethal within minutes
⚠️ In fire incidents, smoke not flames is often the primary cause of fatalities.
PFP is the difference between containment and catastrophe.
Despite clear mandates under NBC 2016, many buildings especially basements, parking areas, storage zones, and retrofitted spaces still operate without:
Automatic sprinklers
Early fire detection systems
Alarm integration with evacuation plans
Fires that could have been controlled in the first 60 seconds escalate into uncontrollable disasters due to delayed detection and response.
📌 Early detection saves structures. Early suppression saves lives.
Fire safety is not only about equipment it is about people and preparedness.
Repeated observations show:
No evacuation drills
Untrained security and facility staff
Delayed alarms
Confusion during emergencies
Blocked or unfamiliar exit routes
In emergencies, people don’t rise to the occasion they fall back on training.
When training is absent, chaos becomes inevitable.
👥 Prepared people are as critical as protected buildings.
India has comprehensive guidelines under NBC 2016, with NBC 2025 (Draft) aiming to further strengthen safety frameworks.
Yet enforcement varies drastically:
State to state
City to city
Project to project
Local deviations often dilute national standards.
In some cases, clearances are obtained without true on-ground compliance.
📉 A strong code means nothing without consistent enforcement.
Perhaps the most dangerous mindset is treating fire safety as a one-time approval requirement.
Once occupancy is granted:
Systems are not tested regularly
Sprinklers get shut
Detectors are disabled
Fire doors remain locked
AMC contracts are ignored
Fire safety degrades silently until an incident exposes the truth.
🔁 Fire safety must be a continuous lifecycle process, not a checkbox.
India’s fire safety challenge is not about awareness anymore it is about execution, accountability, and continuity.
What’s needed:
Lifecycle-based fire safety planning
Integration of passive & active systems
Periodic audits and testing
Mandatory training & drills
Digital monitoring of safety assets
Uniform enforcement across states
Fire safety must evolve from a regulatory obligation to a core operational priority.
It must be designed, implemented, maintained and respected.
At Safety Saarthi, we believe fire safety works best when it is engineered holistically, monitored continuously, and reinforced through people and processes.
Have a fire safety question on your own project?
Talk to our engineering team before it becomes a site-stage problem — we work across fire protection, electrical, HVAC and plumbing systems for industrial, commercial and data centre sites.