27th June, 2012 Dear Utsavites, There has been a fire in an Utsav, Bhiwadi, flat two weeks ago.

Luckily, it could be quelled and occupants safely evacuated. But learning from the incident, residents have put together a list of points for Fire Preparedness at home, which may be useful for you as well. Fire preparedness at home Mental preparedness 1. Are you familiar with the main supply cut out MCBs in your flat ? Perhaps even with the main cut-out MCB in your block ? 2. Are all the permanent occupants of your flat also familiar with these MCBs ? 3. Do you remember the two control room intercom nos. 8870 and 8859 where you should inform about emergencies ? Do you remember the two security gate nos. 8857 (utsav) and 8877 (villa) ? Do all permanent occupants in your flat remember these nos. ? Are you aware that if you dont have an intercom handy, you can dial these nos. from the phones in the lifts also ? 4. Do you have a fire extinguisher in your flat ? Do you know how to use it ? Do all permanent occupants of your flat know how to use it ? 5. Do you know where the main switches to cut off electricity to your entire block are ? They are in the middle of the meter panels on the ground floor. If you want to see them, ask the Utsav electrician to show you. Physical preparedness 6. Keep a fire extinguisher handy. One Utsavite has ordered Fire Stop Extinguishers from the net and can give you details if you dont know where to get one. Another Utsavite recommends Ceasefire brand extinugishers which are reputable and which he has personally had occasion to successfully use several times to quell fires. 7. Always keep the buckets in bathrooms, balconies, kitchens atleast half-filled for use in emergencies. 8. Keep a torch under your pillow every night. 9. Keep something heavy handy to face an intruder with or break a glass with a statue, a pipe wrench or a piece of heavy pipe. 10. Consider keeping a pipe and tap connector in your flat such that you can attach it to a tap for a forceful stream of water for use to quell a fire. The length of the pipe should be such that it can reach atleast from your kitchen to the bedroom door (about 20 feet) and vice versa. 11. Consider getting your flat and articles in it insured against fire, floods, earthquakes, etc. 12. Jointly with other owners of your block, the building can also be insured against fire, floods, earthquakes, etc. Dr. Sharma got this done for an earlier society he was resident in. Precautions against Accidents 13. Dont leave candles unattended near curtains, drying clothes, etc. Leaving diyas and agarbattis in home mandirs unattended is many times a cause for fires. Some people stick lighted agarbattis into wet plant pot soils to minimize risk.

14. Do not overload power and light points. 15. Do not share heavy equipment (heater / geyser / AC / Fridge) with other equipments like computer on the same power board / power strip. 16. Avoid joining wires of heavy equipment (like for an extended wire) it may be better to get a new, longer wire in such cases. As sometimes the joint part can get heated and spark. 17. Make sure that wires, switches, sockets and plugs that you purchase for electric work at your home, are of good quality and properly installed by the electrician, without loose connections. It may be preferable to buy ISI marked products of well-known companies with pucca bill which reduces chances of being given counterfeit products. 18. Leaving plugs loose in sockets that are unattended for long periods can also cause those sockets to get heated up. Try to ensure that the plugs fit tightly into sockets. 20. When leaving your residence unattended for an extended period of time, empty your fridge and shut off the power supply to your flat. 21. You may want to consider leaving a set of keys with a trusted neighbour so that the flat can be opened in an emergency. 22. Close LPG regulator at night and when you are away. 23. Change your gas pipeline whenever it shows signs of wear and tear. 24. Leave a window open in the kitchen so any accumulation of LPG or other fumes has the chance to dissipate rather than hang around your flat. 25. Many times LPG cylinders are delivered without the requisite washer inside the mouth of the cylinder where the regulator pin is inserted. There can be gas leakage in such cases. It is advisable to take the washer from the empty cylinder or keep spare washers for such cases. Even better, ask the delivery man to remove the seal of the new cylinder and show you the washer in the mouth of the cylinder. If fire breaks out /someone is injured 26. Never use water if the fire is due to electricity or electric wires are involved, till the mains are switched off. 27. If you suspect fire behind a closed door / window, do not open it as the fire may get aggravated by supply of fresh air having oxygen. 28. Do not go into a smoke filled area it is very easy to get disoriented and lose your way even when the exit is only a few feet away. 29. Hot smoke damages your lungs even though you may not realize at that time, so stay away from smokey areas. If you have to pass through such areas, soak a towel in a bucket and put on your head / around your face / body. 30. Apply ice and cold water on burnt area by pouring water on it if the affected body part cannot be put inside a jug or bucket. Do this AS LONG as the feeling of burning does not subside. This can take from a few minutes to hours depending on the area burnt. 31. Lotions, creams and gel offered by doctors and nurses will help after the feeling of burning has subsided through application of ice and cold water. For home use, boroline is a good choice. The best dressing for burns is fresh egg-white. Cold Malai and aloe vera are also reputed to be good healers on application.