From big shopping malls to retail stores, education institutes, corporate centers, entertainment arenas, cinemas, hotels, manufacturing plants, and whatnot… Pakistan hosts dozens of public places frequented by a large number of people.
Are they all equipped with a fire protection system?
Unfortunately, NO… but the progress is underway!
Do you know every year, a significant number of casualties and injuries in the country are due to fire incidents?
Around 70% of deaths in existing residential, commercial, and industrial buildings are due to a lack of fire safety and protection systems.
This year, fire safety in Pakistan has improved tremendously. Thanks to upcoming residential and commercial real estate developers investing in infrastructures with fire safety mechanisms.
Here is a quick roundup of what is fire safety and why there’s a dire need for systems to be built in commercial setups of the country.
Fire Management Systems of Shopping Malls in Pakistan
Due to multiple reasons, in Pakistan, the concept of fire safety, especially at shopping malls, has never been taken seriously. After years of fire incidents and loss of lives, fire protection is now becoming a concerning subject among architects and construction companies.
So, what makes a basic infrastructure fireproof?
Let’s quickly run down the possible fire safety hazards and the practices to prevent fire accidents in commercial /public buildings.
But first, let’s quickly shed light on the importance of fire protection systems in shopping malls.
The importance of Fire Management Systems in Shopping Malls
With more and more construction of high-rise buildings, especially in urban cities of the country, fire safety becomes very important.
Inadequate planning and lack of evacuation plans coupled with insufficient monitoring of fire protection systems and relaxed auditing can lead to major fire accidents. But if adequate measures/practices are taken beforehand, the number of fire accidents and the loss can be controlled.
Fire safety in shopping malls is important because;
- It reduces the risk of injury to shoppers and employees.
- Reduces damage to facilities and the overall building
- Reduces the fear of losing customers’ trust
- Protects against possible fines
- And it protects employee jobs that would be lost due to the damage to the property.
*Caveat: Absolute fire safety is not attainable, but most of them are preventable; the safest bet is to prevent it.
Major Causes of Mall Fires
The majority of fires in shopping malls are caused by;
- Some common issues with electrical fires and related faults. The issue could be defective electrical equipment, overloaded circuits, faulty fuses, imbalanced electrical loads, loose connections, lack of maintenance, and others.
- PVC-covered wiring and equipment hidden within display cases, buntings, ceiling spaces, and shop facades.
- Kitchen fires… some common blunders could be high heat, open flames, and mishandling of flammable goods – oil and grease.
- Combustible ceiling tiles and other materials include chemical-based cleaners, electrical batteries, portable camping fuel, paper products, and wooden furniture.
What makes a Shopping Mall/Workplace /Commercial Property Fireproof?
Listen to Chakor Ventures’ real estate developers and experts; we promise to follow these protocols across all our developments, including our upcoming project, Citadel 7 (more on this below).
- Design fire-safe structures with mandatory safety regulations and standards.
- Exercise fire-free practices on a regular basis. Carry out and keep a fire risk assessment up to date.
- Continuous education and training drills about firefighting and evacuation for the occupants.
- Avoid accidental fires, for example – ensuring the heaters cannot be knocked over.
- Mark fire exits and escape routes clearly; keep them unobstructed at all times.
- Keep sources of ignition and flammable substances at a safe distance & keep them away from sensitive places.
- Avoid build-up of housekeeping rubbish that could potentially be burned.
- Install smoke alarms, fire alarms, and warning bells.
- Install working firefighting/extinguishing equipment for putting out fires timely.
- Review and update the risk assessment regularly.
- And most importantly, do carry out fire safety audits timely – to ensure that the premise is assessing fire safety systems just rightly.
Fire Safety in Shopping Malls, Pakistan
Before moving to the latest equipment and practices we have planned for our upcoming project, Citadel 7, let’s get to know some fire stats and recent incidents in Pakistan.
Fire Incidents in Pakistan
Pakistan lost many precious lives in fire accidents; here’re some shocking figures from fires in shopping malls across the country.
- According to Rescue 1122 yearly report on fire emergencies, more than 15,590 fire incidents took place in 2021 in the Punjab region, in which 79 people lost their lives. And in Karachi, the figure for fire incidents was 2,300.
- Karachi witnessed more than 50 fires in shopping malls and superstores between 2016 to ’20.
- According to the WHO, in 2022, which makes up 0.29% of total deaths.
Recent Fire Incidents in Islamabad and Lahore
A night-time fire broke out at a posh shopping center in Lahore that was contained for six hours. The fire was cooled down by 25 firefighters and 60 rescue workers. It was one of those fire incidents with no casualties found.
Last month, a fire broke out in one of the biggest malls in Islamabad during rush hour, when a large number of people were present. All the shoppers were safely evacuated from the mall through the back door.
To extinguish the fire 8 vehicles from the fire brigade and rescue teams and 12 vehicles from Metropolitan reached the area. Along with water supply tankers and 20 firefighters, a helicopter was also called to settle the situation.
Just after the Islamabad fire incident, CDA (Capital development authority) decided that all buildings with heights above 50 feet would be put to fire audit. The authority will also test the projects for real-time exercises.
Fire Prevention Plan for a Shopping Mall in Pakistan
Last, but not least, here’s a walkthrough of what a fireproof plan for a shopping mall should include; well, these pointers are taken from our project, Citadel 7’s fire and safety planning.
- Fire Risk Assessment: This is the first step towards fire safety, which highlights the fire-preventive policies of a commercial building. It is mandatory by law and ensures the protection of the building, employees, customers, and its contents from fire in all eventualities. Failure to conform to such comprehensive regulations will result in serious penalties or perhaps imprisonment. These policies are by any responsible person, like a fire warden.
- Fire Emergency Response Team: An emergency response team leads and directs other employees and occupants to safe evacuation. These fire specialists/individuals have better command over emergency procedures, fire safety, evacuation plans, and other fire preventive and suppressing mechanisms.
- Installation of fire control equipment/system: It includes fire alarm, notification, hose, and water distribution systems; fire detectors; automatic sprinklers; portable fire extinguishers; emergency lighting; heat and smoke detectors; monitoring devices; hooters; sounders; flashers; and whatnot.
- Fire prevention and maintenance: It includes practicing fireproof housekeeping techniques; maintaining emergency and exit lighting; timely maintenance and upgradation of fire and safety systems and devices; and keeping the building free of hazards.
- Fire safety signage: Having the provision of the correct signage in case of a fire incident aids in a safe and quick escape. They also assist in the use of fire protection equipment and save vital minutes in evacuations. They should be able to be led to their nearest exit route, regardless of where the person is located during the accident.
- Fire Training and Education: One of the most important steps in implementing a fire prevention plan is to train and educate workers and employees. They should understand their roles and responsibilities when responding to a fire emergency and know what actions to be taken in a timely manner.
