Railways Launches Enhanced Fire Safety Measures Following Tragic Incident Involving RPF Officer

Following an extinguisher blast incident, Indian Railways has launched 15-day fire safety drives nationwide. The drives include inspecting portable fire extinguishers, verifying inspection certificates, and implementing a traceability system using QR codes or RFID tags. The Railway Board has directed zones to procure and maintain fire extinguishers according to Indian Standards guidelines. Zones are required to send officers to confirm inspections and strengthen audit processes for in-house or outsourced maintenance. The drives aim to improve fire safety in train coaches to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Railway divisions across the country have started fire safety drives in the wake of an extinguisher blast killing a Railway Protection Force staff in Valsad-Muzaffarpur Shramik Express at Muzaffarpur junction.

The fire broke out early in the morning on April 22 in the general coach and the RPF constable tried to douse it with the help of a portable fire extinguisher (FE) which exploded.

''The mouth and face of the RPF staff got badly injured. He was taken to a private hospital for treatment through ambulance, where he was declared dead by the doctors,'' a circular, issued by the Senior Divisional Safety officer of the Agra Rail Division, said citing the reason for starting a 15-day-long special fire safety drive during May 1-15.

Similar drives are also being initiated by the other rail divisions after the Railway Board asked all its zones to procure and maintain portable fire extinguishers used in train coaches as per the latest guidelines stipulated in Indian Standards. The Railway Board had on April 25, 2024 issued a circular to all its zones directing them to carry out immediate inspection in line with the specification of Indian Standards ''which provides 'Guidelines for the Evaluation of Damage and Corrosion' so as to weed out bad FE from the system, even before these are sent for testing.'' The Board asked the zones to check necessary records to ensure that proper inspection certificate is available for each FE.

''A fail-safe system of traceability of FE needs to be set up,'' the Board said, adding that the zones should explore use of QR Code/RFID tag. According to it, each division should depute officers to agencies who are undertaking such testing so as to confirm the inspection of these FE as per the prescribed Indian Standards.

''Protocol of inspection by railway officials and audit of maintenance processes in-house or outsourced needs to be strengthened and laid down by the ZRs (Zonal Railways),'' the circular said.

The rail divisions have issued instructions to the concerned officers to inspect all deficiencies and irregularities of fire extinguishers such as due dates of their servicing, refilling discharge test, hydraulic pressure testing, the codal life along with their physical condition.

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