Delhi separates building design checks from fire-safety NOC inspections

Fire officers issuing safety clearances will now concentrate on whether a building can be evacuated and whether its firefighting systems can operate during an emergency, rather than rechecking parts of an approved building plan.

A Delhi Fire Service notification issued on August 28 revises the Delhi Fire Service Rules, 2010. Structural requirements, including corridor and staircase widths and other building-plan specifications, will be handled by the building-plan sanctioning authority. Fire auditors will assess non-structural measures through an 18-point checklist.

The checks include access and exits for fire personnel and equipment, sprinklers, hydrants, firefighting pumps, refuge areas, alarms and emergency power. Auditors must examine backup power for fire pumps, smoke-venting and pressurisation systems, fireman’s lifts, emergency lighting and public-address systems.

Fire NOCs are generally required for residential buildings above 15 metres, hotels above 12 metres, and buildings with multiple basements. The Delhi Fire Service director can order additional measures with written reasons, including arrangements based on international standards where building bylaws are silent.

Applications pending when the amended rules take effect will be assessed under the earlier provisions.