National Fire Service College (NFSC) in Nagpur got the country’s first Fixed Fire Fighting Installation Lab. D K Shami, Fire Advisor, Union Ministry of Home Affairs, inaugurated the Fixed Fire Fighting Simulation Zone in presence of Dr Louis A Gritzo, Vice-President, Manager of Research, US; and Dr Christopher J Wieczorek, Vice-President, Manager, International Codes and Standards, US; Dr G S Saini, Director, NFSC, and other dignitaries.
Dr Louis A Gritzo and Dr Christopher J Wieczorek gifted a hydrant testing instrument kit to NFSC. Dr G S Saini and D K Shami received the kit on behalf of NFSC. The new simulation zone would be the only facility in India where fire loss prevention will be practiced. “It is state-of-the-art training facility and the first one dedicated to all the fire officers and fire protection engineering graduates involved in fire loss prevention in India,” Dr. Saini said. It will provide training and necessary critical thinking skills to the fire safety community of India, and ultimately help facility managers to keep the loss prevention equipment in working order.
Fire and Emergency Services in the country are not only involved in fire fighting but also in implementation of fire prevention and protection measures. The in-built fixed fire-fighting system like sprinklers, detectors, hydrants, hose-reel etc play a vital role in mitigating the fire accidents, said Dr G S Saini. The National Building Code of India has prescribed different systems based on the hazards in buildings. “It is imperative to build competencies through effective training in achievement of these objectives. The training facility at NFSC is a major step in that direction,” he added.
Union Ministry of Home Affairs has allocated Rs 236 crore for development of NFSC including 13 laboratories. In one of these laboratories, NFSC has set up a Fixed Fire Fighting Installation Lab-Simulation Zone at the cost of Rs 1.60 crore based on the concept and design of NFSC and technical support of FM Global. The simulation zone primarily focuses on various active fire-fighting systems. The features of the simulation zone include Heart-Pump Room with closed-loop water system, Get-Wet Lab with sprinklers like little fire-fighters, Riser System to study various types of deluge valves and spray patterns, Water Mist System having five water mist nozzles along with high-pressure reciprocating pump, CO2 Total Flooding System that displaces oxygen in protected space and thus extinguishes fire, etc.
“The lab will help the trainees to identify requirements for protecting fire pump equipment, identify the basic types of circuits, recognise general requirements for inspection, testing, and maintenance of fire alarm systems, define various terms, identify the purpose of inspections etc. It will not only enhance their understanding of various concepts and terms, but also help them in getting acquainted with the systems,” said Dr G S Saini.
