It is said fire is never a gentle master. Fires have been particularly devastating of late as there have been conflagrations all around. It appears all things are catching fire, and not only in India. In Dubai and New York too they have had crippling fires in high-rises. But nothing seemed as terrible and tragic as the fire in the night club on a rooftop in Mumbai which killed so many who had assembled just to have a good time with friends and family. And more recently, there have been massive fires in and around temples in Tamil Nadu, including one at the historical Meenakshi temple in Madurai.
It does appear from the looks of it that fires are becoming a major threat to buildings as they age. Not all the fires could be attributed to sheer carelessness as in a couple of temple fires, one of which has been put down to the holy act of burning camphor and another to arson. It is also obvious that we are getting so careless with electricity – as evident in how thoughtlessly we draw power from extensions to serve multiple uses. Fires from electrical short circuits have become a live threat.
The Indian attitude towards spending as little as possible on insurance, of which fire and catastrophe are the least priorities when it comes to taking out cover for eventualities, is so ingrained that those stung by fire may be lucky enough to have survived but are invariably devastated by the losses. When jail for those owning public places seems the only punishment when people have died in their premises in fire accidents, it would seem fire safety should be their topmost priority. But it does not work that way and the Indians’ fatalistic attitude may be to blame.
However, it is not all doom and gloom. There is a product in the market now from the USA that promises to be the perfect firewall. The Flamebloc fire-retardant technology promises to do what even insurance against fire cannot – It proves the dictum that prevention is better than cure. The fire-retardant acts on wood, cloth, paper, leather, metal and plastic and helps smother any fire that may accidentally start at home, in the workplace, in factories, night clubs and offices. The water-based compound is also needed specifically for the electricity cables and wires.
For product enquiries contact Verdant Technologies LLP, Chennai. Maanav Mavani (94440 51015) Vikhrem Parrekh (93679 99999)
The passive fire-retardant works wonders when applied in any fire prone location. This could be particularly useful in hospitals, IT data centres, restaurant kitchens, theatres, malls and all such public places where fire poses the greater danger because it also threatens human lives as so many gather here for work, entertainment or just to take treatment to get well. The fire-retardant is applied by roll, dip or spray on vulnerable areas and it not only inhibits fire but also smothers the smoke that is probably even more deadly in the event of fire as more people are likely to die from asphyxiation than burns.
On exposure to heat and flame, the fire-retardant forms a carbon char and very thin foam on the surfaces of materials it has been sprayed on. The fire-retardant causes a decrease in smoke evolution. Every fireman knows the greater hazard of his job is the smoke emanating from fires that can choke him if he is not properly attired and equipped with a mask. The fire-retardant represents the finest insurance against fires, loss of property and loss of human lives. And it comes at a very attractive price, says the businessman who has the right to market the product in large areas of India.
“Prevention is better than cure is my motto. It is cheaper and more effective than insurance premiums and the use of the fire-retardant will provide owners of public spaces a peaceful sleep. They don’t have to worry about minor acts of carelessness by smokers throwing their butts or the workers in the kitchen getting distracted to the point of allowing fires to go out of control”, says Parag Mavani.
Mr Mavani needs no greater endorsement than the Prime Minister’s security team calling upon his services every time to apply the fire-retardant to all vulnerable materials on the stage, dais or podiums on which the PM’s events are held. It is the job of Parag’s teams to secure the inner perimeter from being harmed by fire from any source. Guarding the life of the PM shows how highly rated the technology is.
Mr Mavani explains the principal technicalities, “Passive fire protection is the primary measure integrated within the constructional fabric of a building to provide inherent fire safety and protection by responding against flame, heat and smoke to maintain the fundamental requirements of building compartmentation, structural stability, fire separation and safe means of escape”.
Raising the fire resistance of all premises is his aim. “Protecting structures against the effects of fire, reducing the spreading of fire through secondary ignition and limiting the movement of flame and smoke and minimising the danger of fire induced collapse or structural distortion is what I attempt and achieve with the application of the fire-retardant” he explains.
The process he undertakes after studying the premises is simple enough. All vulnerable material is coated with the fire-retardant, particularly vulnerable electrical cables and junction boxes, extension cords, etc. In the event of a fire breaking out, it is inhibited from spreading and all material emerge from the flames or heat vitally unscathed as mere wiping of the foam is sufficient to restore them before fire-retardant is applied again to make them secure again.
