Across the dense urban habitats in the country, the lack of fire safety remains one of the key threats to life and property. Not a week goes by when you do not spot a news item related to a fire incident or tragedy in some city or the other. They may or may not make front page headlines, but their occurrence is remarkably and painfully regular. 

For the past 15 years, Beyond Carlton in Bengaluru has been at the forefront of a critical mission — improving fire safety across India. Born out of a tragic accident, the organisation’s purpose is to prevent future fire disasters and make the country fire-safe. With no commercial intent, Beyond Carlton has dedicated its efforts to advocacy, awareness and accountability, aiming to foster a culture of fire safety through collaboration, legal interventions and community engagement.

Read more: Beyond Carlton, what has been achieved?

Hurdles to fire safety: Public apathy and systemic gaps

Over the last 15 years, one of the biggest obstacles the team has encountered is public apathy — most people, as they move through the regular course of life, simply do not believe that they can be the victims of a fire incident. This mindset has made it difficult to raise awareness and galvanise the public into action. 

Additionally, fire services in India have traditionally focussed more on responding to fires, rather than preventing them. There is also a lack of capacity within fire services, with inadequate equipment, insufficient personnel, and insufficient training to keep up with rapid urbanisation and population growth.

Thus Beyond Carlton has worked to shift the focus from reactive fire-fighting to proactive fire prevention. This mindset is reflected in the premise “Act before the fire.” Emphasis on fire prevention has to a large extent steered the conversation away from merely responding to fire disasters to actively preventing them through comprehensive planning, education, and collaboration.

The importance of a legal and advocacy-driven approach

One of Beyond Carlton’s significant achievements has been its work in the legal and policy space. In Karnataka, the organisation filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) to ensure better enforcement of fire safety measures in high-rise buildings and public spaces. 

The court’s ruling directed stakeholders to take accountability for compliance, especially for structures over 15 metres tall. This ruling was a significant step in pushing for stronger fire safety regulations in the State, setting a precedent for other regions.

Additionally, engagement with local authorities has led to improved governance structures for fire safety. In collaboration with fire services and disaster management departments, the team helped develop forward-looking plans for fire safety in Bengaluru in Karnataka, and Cuttack and Bhubaneswar in Odisha.

Multi-stakeholder collaboration for comprehensive fire safety plans

Beyond Carlton has brought together a diverse range of stakeholders. Effective fire safety is not just about the fire department but requires the engagement of development and planning authorities, municipal bodies, electricity suppliers, educational institutions, and healthcare organisations. This holistic approach to fire safety is exemplified in the work with the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA), which led to the Comprehensive Fire Safety Framework and Plan (CFSFP) for the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.

The CFSFP is a comprehensive, multi-faceted plan that covers infrastructure and capacity building, planning and regulation, community engagement, and inter-agency coordination. It outlines the necessary steps for improving fire safety in these cities and serves as a blueprint that can be scaled and implemented across other regions in India.

The collaborative nature of the project ensured that every voice was heard, and the resultant framework incorporated inputs from a broad spectrum of stakeholders, leading to a more inclusive and effective plan.

Community engagement and public awareness

Public awareness has been central to the work. Beyond Carlton leveraged social media platforms to spread fire safety messages, regularly running campaigns and sharing fire safety tips. The “Weekly Fire Safety Tip” is one of the longest-running campaigns, alongside educational films on various fire safety topics, from residential fire safety to hospital fires and the National Building Code.

Beyond social media campaigns, there have been various programmes initiated to build fire safety capacity in communities. These include: 

 #FireSense101 workshop series, an on-the-ground training programme for estate managers in Bengaluru. The workshops, in collaboration with the Bangalore Apartments’ Federation (BAF) and Karnataka Fire and Emergency Services, have trained over 150 estate managers from high-rise apartment buildings. These workshops cover risk mitigation strategies, the logic of the National Building Code Part IV, and life-saving techniques like CPR. 

#FireWatch101 project, which focuses on burn care and life safety. This initiative is supported by the CSR efforts of TD Power Systems, Bengaluru, in collaboration with the Mahabodhi Burns Centre at Victoria Hospital. It targets vulnerable communities, providing medical support to burn victims, especially children, women, and youth from below the poverty line. 

The project also raises awareness about burn prevention and offers vocational rehabilitation support to survivors. Over 400 burn victims have received medical care. Moreover, around 500 people, including government school children, BESCOM staff, construction workers, domestic workers and other high-risk groups have been educated about burn prevention.

Read more: Check your home’s fire safety, take part in the ‘iamfiresafe’ campaign

Lessons learnt for improved safety

One key takeaway is that multi-stakeholder engagement is crucial for implementing fire safety measures at the city level. Fire safety cannot be the responsibility of a single department or organisation — it requires coordination between various entities, including fire services, municipal authorities, and the community.

Community engagement has also been recognised as a vital component of fire safety. Empowering residents and communities to take an active role in fire prevention and response is essential. Beyond Carlton has worked to address both supply-side and demand-side gaps in fire safety, offering tools like self-assessment checklists for residential areas to promote greater accountability and involvement.

Technology is another critical area for the future. In rapidly growing urban centres, technology can play a key role in improving risk assessments and mitigation strategies. Digital tools can help identify high-risk areas, track compliance, and ensure faster, more efficient responses to fire safety issues.

A broader governance perspective that involves disaster management agencies and other safety-related organisations is also essential. Such integrated approaches are necessary to create long-term, sustainable changes in urban fire safety.

Positive changes in urban fire safety

While challenges remain, there have been several positive trends in urban fire safety over the years. In Bengaluru, there is greater compliance with fire safety regulations, particularly in large commercial buildings. Fire departments are conducting more inspections, and there has been an increase in the number of fire department personnel available for inspections. 

Fire safety laws have become stricter, and there is more awareness among apartment owners and residents about the importance of fire safety. This awareness is reflected in the growing number of residents trained by fire departments.

Beyond Carlton’s Fire Safety Blueprint is beginning to resonate beyond Bengaluru. Odisha has already adopted this framework, and the hope is that other states will follow suit.

Despite the systemic and social hurdles, the overall progress made in strengthening fire safety laws, improving public awareness, and fostering collaboration across sectors has been a testament to the power of collective action. We remain committed to preventing fires before they start, ensuring that India’s cities are safe places for all.

Also read:

• How our schools can become fire-safe
• A guide to fire safety in hospitals
• Find out if your building is too secure to be safe