In India, fire accidents were responsible for approximately 1.8% of all accidental deaths in 2019. According to data published by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), a total of 11,037 cases of fire accidents were reported in the country in 2019 resulting in 10,915 deaths in the same year and 441 injuries. A majority of these incidents (over 60%) were reported in buildings.
Figure 1: Average number of Fire Deaths per year (India vs USA and Asian Peers), 2014-18
Source: World Fire Statistics 2020, Center for Fire Statistics (CITF)
Fire incidents can cause a lot of damage to life and property. Hence, it becomes essential to identify the root cause and address them. Major causes of fire can be attributed to electrical short circuits, cooking gas cylinder bursts, fireworks, firearms, etc.
Figure 2: No of fire incidents, 2019 (by cause)
Source: Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India 2019, National Crime Records Bureau, Ministry of Home Affairs
Almost 20% of all fire incidents recorded by the National Crime Records Bureau were caused by electrical short circuits. Underlying reasons for these incidents are majorly due to poor equipment, non-maintenance of critical equipment and flouting of safety norms laid out while using appliances with these sources of energy. Electrical fires are generally caused by ill-maintained wires, bundled up together, resulting in short circuits or due to overloading. The National Building Code, published by the Bureau of Indian Standards, lays down the basic guidelines for construction, maintenance and fire safety of structures.
Understanding the fire triangle is critical in eliminating these sorts of incidents. Three elements are critical for fires to sustain – Fuel or the combustible material, heat and oxygen. Oxygen is abundant in the air and accidents result in heat generation, thus can’t be controlled. Therefore it is the fuel or the combustible material which can be addressed.
Figure 3: The fire triangle
Aplication of flame retardants can be used to prevent these incidents. These are substances that are added to the combustible materials that prevent fires from starting or decelerate the spread of the fire. They add an extra layer of protection and increase the escape time to minimise the damages. Their major applications include plastics, textiles and electrical and electronic components. Bromine has a wide variety of applications such as fire safety, mecury emission control, water treatment etc.
