Building hazards: On preventing and fighting fires

India needs to do more to both prevent and fight fires

Each major fire accident in cities that ends up (अंततः होना, आखिरकार पहुँच जाना) claiming human lives (the existences of individual human beings; existences, human beings, living persons, souls) fleshes out different sets of causative (acting as the reason or cause of something; generating, instigating, producing, originating) and exacerbating (aggravating, worsening, compounding, intensifying) factors. The recent one in Shahdara in East Delhi highlighted (उजागर करना) a lack (कमी, अभाव) of sufficient attention (ध्यान, गौर) to planning for evacuating (to move people from a place of danger to a safer place; clear, empty, move out, vacate) buildings in the case of (के मामले में, की स्थिति में) emergencies, mainly fire. Nine people were killed and some 15 were rescued (बचाना, राहत पहुँचाना) with grievous (गंभीर, भयंकर) injuries in that accident. The residential building — stilt (the ground-level portion of a building consisting of structural columns or pillars supporting the upper structure, left mostly open without enclosures and typically used for parking vehicles; elevated ground floor, stilt parking level, open ground floor) plus four floors comprising eight houses — had security (सुरक्षा, संरक्षण) enhancing (बढ़ाना, सुधारना) features (to cause the loss of (used often with ‘lives’); take, result in the death of, kill, snatch) that turned out (emerge, transpire, happen to be, result) to be deadly: (घातक, जानलेवा) electronic locks on doors that could not be opened; a terrace that was not easily accessible; (सुलभ, पहुँच योग्य) and metallic grills (लोहे की जाली) around the building including on balconies that had to be cut for access by fire service personnel (कर्मचारी, स्टाफ) seeking to rescue the victims (पीड़ित, शिकार). A fire in March in Palam, in which nine of an extended family (a family that extends beyond the nuclear family structure; relatives, kin, relations, kindred) died, highlighted access problems that fire services face (to encounter, confront, or deal with a situation; encounter, experience, tackle, confront) in Delhi. The mixed-use building had few of the recommended firefighting facilities (equipment or infrastructure specifically designed for extinguishing fires) required in such buildings. Eyewitnesses (observer, onlooker, bystander, witness) complained that the hydraulic lifts (a machine that uses a pressurized liquid mechanism to elevate personnel or objects; boom lift, elevator) used by fire services personnel to access higher floors were malfunctioning (to fail to function normally or satisfactorily; break down, fail to work, stop working, act up). Though the fire services insist (to demand something forcefully, not accepting refusal; assert, maintain, claim, state firmly) they reached the Shahdara accident spot on time (punctually, promptly, on schedule, in time), response times (the period of time it takes to react to an emergency call; reaction time, turnaround time, arrival time, intervention time) have been longer in the capital city at other times. In a fire in Dwarka in 2025, fire engines could not enter the residential society because the name board of the society was blocking them.

While there is certainly (undoubtedly or definitely; surely, positively, unequivocally, undeniably) a case (a strong argument or justification for something; argument, justification, reason, rationale) for reviewing the fire preparedness (a state of readiness, especially for emergencies; readiness, state of readiness, capability, alertness) and fire-fighting capabilities of Delhi, what often goes unaddressed (not having been dealt with or considered; ignored, overlooked, neglected, pending) are electrical problems that cause these fires across Indian cities. As summer sets in, air-conditioning blasts are often casually (in a relaxed, informal, or unconcerned manner; informally, offhandedly, cursorily, lightly) cited (to mention something as a reason or an example; refer to, mention, allude to, instance) as in the Shahdara fire. What often happens is overloading (to place an excessive demand or burden on an electrical system or piece of equipment) of equipment such as (of a kind that; for example, for instance, like, namely) the airconditioner during hot summer days. The wires that are not designed to handle such loads burn due to (because of, owing to, as a result of, on account of) heat and the circuit breakers (an automatic safety device for stopping the flow of current in an electric circuit; trip switch, fuse) that should have tripped (to automatically switch off a circuit as a safety measure against overload; disconnect, cut off, interrupt, switch off) the equipment as protection do not do so. In India, the hierarchy (an arrangement or classification of items in an order of importance; order, ranking, grading, sequence) of loads (the amount of power supplied by a source or consumed by an electrical system; electrical demand, power usage) and circuit breakers is often not observed (to fulfill or comply with a rule, custom, or standard; follow, comply with, adhere to, abide by) as residences are packed with high load equipment beyond what the system can safely carry. The intent (intention, aim, purpose, objective) is often to keep the equipment running (operate, function, work) under all conditions whereas (in contrast or comparison with the fact that; while, on the contrary, although, but) tripping of overloaded equipment (the automatic disconnection of electrical devices when drawing unsafe amounts of current; power cutoff, safety disconnect, circuit interruption, protective trip) is a necessary safety feature. City authorities (officials, administration, government, bureaucracy) talk of drones (an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) remotely controlled and used for surveillance or accessing difficult areas) and robots (an automated machine capable of carrying out complex actions, sometimes used in hazardous environments) to fight fires when even the basic preventive (preemptive, protective, deterrent, precautionary) measures (step, action, procedure, course of action) are not in place (established, set up, and ready to work; operational, functioning, active, implemented).

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.hazard (noun)

Hindi Meaning - खतरा, जोखिम
English Meaning - a potential source of danger or harm; risk, peril, threat, jeopardy.

2.end up (phrasal verb)

Hindi Meaning - अंततः होना, आखिरकार पहुँच जाना
English Meaning - to finally be in a particular place or situation; finish, conclude, result in, culminate in.

3.highlight (verb)

Hindi Meaning - उजागर करना
English Meaning - emphasize, draw attention to, underline, underscore, stress, spotlight.

4.lack (noun)

Hindi Meaning - कमी, अभाव
English Meaning - absence, deficiency, shortage, scarcity.

5.attention (noun)

Hindi Meaning - ध्यान, गौर
English Meaning - notice, thought, or interest given to someone or something; observation, focus, consideration, awareness.

6.in the case of (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - के मामले में, की स्थिति में
English Meaning - in the particular situation of someone or something; in the event of, regarding, concerning, with reference to.

7.rescue (verb)

Hindi Meaning - बचाना, राहत पहुँचाना
English Meaning - to save someone from a dangerous or distressing situation; save, retrieve, free, extricate.

8.grievous (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - गंभीर, भयंकर
English Meaning - very severe or serious; grave, critical, damaging, devastating.

9.security (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सुरक्षा, संरक्षण
English Meaning - safety, protection, defense, safeguard.

10.enhance (verb)

Hindi Meaning - बढ़ाना, सुधारना
English Meaning - improve, increase, boost, upgrade.

11.deadly (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - घातक, जानलेवा
English Meaning - fatal, lethal, mortal, life-threatening.

12.accessible (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - सुलभ, पहुँच योग्य
English Meaning - reachable, approachable, available, attainable.

13.grill (noun)

Hindi Meaning - लोहे की जाली
English Meaning - a framework of metal bars used as a screen or barrier.

14.personnel (noun)

Hindi Meaning - कर्मचारी, स्टाफ
English Meaning - staff, employees, workforce, workers.

15.victim (noun)

Hindi Meaning - पीड़ित, शिकार
English Meaning - person harmed, injured, or killed as a result of an event or action; sufferer, casualty, injured person, fatality.

16.seek (verb)

English Meaning - to attempt or desire to obtain or achieve something; try, attempt, aim, strive.

17.lives (noun)

English Meaning - the existences of individual human beings; existences, human beings, living persons, souls.

18.flesh out (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to provide more details or information about something; add detail to, expand upon, elaborate on, substantiate.

19.feature (noun)

English Meaning - factor, factor, detail.

20.claim (verb)

English Meaning - to cause the loss of (used often with ‘lives’); take, result in the death of, kill, snatch.

21.causative (adjective)

English Meaning - acting as the reason or cause of something; generating, instigating, producing, originating.

22.turn out (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - emerge, transpire, happen to be, result.

23.fight fires (phrase)

English Meaning - to work as a firefighter or take action to extinguish flames; extinguish flames, put out fires, control blazes, tackle infernos.

24.exacerbating (adjective)

English Meaning - aggravating, worsening, compounding, intensifying.

25.evacuate (verb)

English Meaning - to move people from a place of danger to a safer place; clear, empty, move out, vacate.

26.stilt (floor) (noun)

English Meaning - the ground-level portion of a building consisting of structural columns or pillars supporting the upper structure, left mostly open without enclosures and typically used for parking vehicles; elevated ground floor, stilt parking level, open ground floor.

27.extended family (noun)

English Meaning - a family that extends beyond the nuclear family structure; relatives, kin, relations, kindred.

28.face (phrase)

English Meaning - to encounter, confront, or deal with a situation; encounter, experience, tackle, confront.

29.firefighting facility (noun)

English Meaning - equipment or infrastructure specifically designed for extinguishing fires.

30.firefighting (noun)

English Meaning - the activity or profession of extinguishing fires; fire control, fire suppression, combating flames.

31.facility (noun)

English Meaning - a place, amenity, or piece of equipment provided for a particular purpose; provision, amenity.

32.eyewitness (noun)

English Meaning - observer, onlooker, bystander, witness.

33.hydraulic lift (noun)

English Meaning - a machine that uses a pressurized liquid mechanism to elevate personnel or objects; boom lift, elevator.

34.malfunction (verb)

English Meaning - to fail to function normally or satisfactorily; break down, fail to work, stop working, act up.

35.insist (verb)

English Meaning - to demand something forcefully, not accepting refusal; assert, maintain, claim, state firmly.

36.on time (phrase)

English Meaning - punctually, promptly, on schedule, in time.

37.response time (noun)

English Meaning - the period of time it takes to react to an emergency call; reaction time, turnaround time, arrival time, intervention time.

38.certainly (adverb)

English Meaning - undoubtedly or definitely; surely, positively, unequivocally, undeniably.

39.case (noun)

English Meaning - a strong argument or justification for something; argument, justification, reason, rationale.

40.preparedness (noun)

English Meaning - a state of readiness, especially for emergencies; readiness, state of readiness, capability, alertness.

41.unaddressed (adjective)

English Meaning - not having been dealt with or considered; ignored, overlooked, neglected, pending.

42.set in (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to begin and seem likely to continue; start, begin, arrive, establish itself.

43.casually (adverb)

English Meaning - in a relaxed, informal, or unconcerned manner; informally, offhandedly, cursorily, lightly.

44.cite (verb)

English Meaning - to mention something as a reason or an example; refer to, mention, allude to, instance.

45.as in (phrase)

English Meaning - used to give an example or show a similarity; such as, like, similar to, for instance.

46.overload (verb)

English Meaning - to place an excessive demand or burden on an electrical system or piece of equipment.

47.such as (phrase)

English Meaning - of a kind that; for example, for instance, like, namely.

48.due to (phrase)

English Meaning - because of, owing to, as a result of, on account of.

49.circuit breaker (noun)

English Meaning - an automatic safety device for stopping the flow of current in an electric circuit; trip switch, fuse.

50.trip (verb)

English Meaning - to automatically switch off a circuit as a safety measure against overload; disconnect, cut off, interrupt, switch off.

51.hierarchy (noun)

English Meaning - an arrangement or classification of items in an order of importance; order, ranking, grading, sequence.

52.load (noun)

English Meaning - the amount of power supplied by a source or consumed by an electrical system; electrical demand, power usage.

53.observe (verb)

English Meaning - to fulfill or comply with a rule, custom, or standard; follow, comply with, adhere to, abide by.

54.pack with (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to fill a space entirely with items or equipment; fill, load, stuff, cram.

55.intent (noun)

English Meaning - intention, aim, purpose, objective.

56.run (verb)

English Meaning - operate, function, work.

57.whereas (conjunction)

English Meaning - in contrast or comparison with the fact that; while, on the contrary, although, but.

58.tripping of overloaded equipment (noun phrase)

English Meaning - the automatic disconnection of electrical devices when drawing unsafe amounts of current; power cutoff, safety disconnect, circuit interruption, protective trip.

59.authorities (noun)

English Meaning - officials, administration, government, bureaucracy.

60.drone (noun)

English Meaning - an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) remotely controlled and used for surveillance or accessing difficult areas.

61.robot (noun)

English Meaning - an automated machine capable of carrying out complex actions, sometimes used in hazardous environments.

62.preventive (adjective)

English Meaning - preemptive, protective, deterrent, precautionary.

63.measure (noun)

English Meaning - step, action, procedure, course of action.

64.in place (phrase)

English Meaning - established, set up, and ready to work; operational, functioning, active, implemented.