80% of Delhi is unplanned, fire preparedness ‘average’: Chief Fire Officer

Delhi's overall fire-safety preparedness is considered average, rather than exceptional, according to the Chief Fire Officer. The city's geography and construction play a significant role in the varied fire risks it faces. Old Delhi's narrow, congested lanes and interconnected buildings with tangled overhead wires make access to buildings difficult.

Additionally, over 80% of Delhi's construction is unplanned, meaning many building plans never reach the Municipal Corporation of Delhi or the building authority to obtain a Fire Safety Certificate or Fire No Objection Certificate. Only around 5% of buildings in Delhi have Occupancy Certificates.

Fire safety in Delhi begins with the fundamentals, such as structural safety, staircases, travel distance, and evacuation provisions. Inadequate passive fire protection means that retrofitting active systems alone cannot solve the problem. Third-party fire-safety certification is being implemented, but its impact remains to be seen.

In 2024-25, out of 36,000 calls attended by the department, only 1% came from buildings with department-issued Fire Safety Certificates, indicating that buildings certified by the Fire Department have largely remained safe from fire.

The Fire Service is understaffed and under-equipped. Currently, there are 71 fire stations against a requirement of 120, and only about 2,500 firefighters when the need is for more than 12,000. The department is hoping to receive an additional 9,000 firefighters, with plans to increase the number of stations to 120 over the next five years.

However, the response time in Delhi is challenging due to traffic and narrow lanes, making it difficult to achieve the prescribed five-minute response time. To address this, the department has deployed 24 Quick Response Vehicles and plans to order 50 more in the future. The use of sprinklers and fire detectors can significantly reduce fire deaths, with data showing a potential drop from around 100 a year to just three or four if implemented.

The Master Plan for Delhi, 2021, has been amended to allow stilt parking in many buildings, but these structures often have limited escape options if a fire occurs. People need to take greater responsibility for their own fire safety and be aware of the misconceptions surrounding the Fire Department's response times.