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The Times of India Advanced Search » are here: Home » City » Mumbai High-rises over 70m, one ladder up to 68m Sharad Vyas, TNN, Mar 25, 2010, 01.54am IST

MUMBAI: The vertical growth of the city's skyline is posing newer challenges for Mumbai's fire fighters, who now attend to an average of 5,000 fire calls a year.

Of the 17 aerial and hydraulic platforms the city's fire brigade has, only one can reach a height of 68 meters and another can go up to 50 meters. Otherwise, the average height of the 17 ladders used to fight high-rise fires is a mere 15.3 meters (4 to 5 stories).

The situation is shocking, given that the state's high-rise committee clears projects of over 70 meters in height. Under such circumstances, fire fighters depend heavily on the internal systems installed by developers in buildings. But members of the committee have themselves observed during meetings that most developers neglected fire safety norms.

Cities like New York, Moscow, London, Helsinki, Frankfurt and Shanghai have hydraulic platform that can fight fires and rescue people at heights of 130 meters (approximately 40 floors).

"The problem with Mumbai is that the wind velocity is too high along the coast. Beyond the height of 70 meters, a hydraulic platforms would be unable to carry a weight of more than 400 kgs" said city fire chief Uday Tatkare. He added that the cost factor, around Rs 10.5 crore per hydraulic platforms.

The state's high-rise committee recommended to all builders having more than 50 mt height must have their fire fighting & rescue team along with fire tenders & hydraulic platforms etc.

The brigade's efficiency for multiple evacuation methods at heights is limited, observed a recent report by the state-appointed committee to check fire safety norms in private buildings. "At present the brigade has only one hydraulic platform of 68 meters height (and) one aerial ladder of 50 meters height as against 256 fire tenders, 5000 crew members. At present  8 nos hydraulic platform of  68 / 70 meter height under proposal with BMC,  height Beyond that, it is heavily depending on internal systems in a tall building for rescue, relief and fire fighting,”

According to the BMC's construction norms, a high-rise in any building more than 70 meters tall. Usually this means the building has at least 18 to 21 story’s, depending on the height of individual floors, which can vary from 3.2 to 4.2 meters in height.

The state's high-rise committee in February 2010 received a proposal for the city's tallest commercial & residential building 486 meters high with about 125 floors to be built at Keshavrao Khade Marg near the Mahalaxmi Race Course.

Barely a handful of the more than 160 high-rise projects cleared by the high-rise committee over the past five-and-a-half years have included comprehensive fire-fighting facilities, the panel's members have observed during its meetings. Only a few have included the mandatory platform, fire tenders and rescue system controlled by descent device and vertical canvas chutes. A second fire exit staircase & dedicated hydrant system is not provided in most buildings. At the time of emergency, separate stairways for entry and exit are important.

Meanwhile, Tatkare said that the use of choppers to fight fires at heights is inadvisable as the rotating blades could fan the flames.