A day after DNA exposed that the Nair Hospital was sitting on defunct fire safety equipment, municipal commissioner Subodh Kumar ordered an immediate audit of all three major civic hospitals — KEM, Sion and Nair.
Personnel from the Mumbai fire brigade were on their toes on Sunday surveying the preparedness of the hospitals in tackling fire.
“The observations will be presented to hospital authorities and immediate corrective measures will be adopted,” said chief fire officer HN Muzawar.
But when DNA decided to carry out a simultaneous scrutiny at the three hospitals, we found that the Nair Hospital had not taken home any lesson. It has changed the expiry and refill dates on the fire extinguishers without actually having them refilled.
Sources said a brazen electrical and engineering department stuck new dates below the existing ones just before the fire audits.
“To refill fire extinguishers, they have to be taken out of hospital premises and this process requires a gate pass. When refilled cylinders are brought back, they need to be checked. But none of that was done,” said an official.
The label on the fire extinguishers now states that they were refilled in March 2011 and that they’ll expire in March 2012. Till Friday, the same said they were refilled in February 2009 and had expired in February 2010.
Things at KEM Hospital were no different. The main water pump there is damaged. A senior hospital official said the pump, which has not been used in years, is jammed. All 65 fire extinguishers expired in 2009. Most wards don’t have one at all. The fire department is planning a fire evacuation drill for hospital staff.
Sion Hospital faces a shortage of fire extinguishers. The fire officials marked some spots where the equipment need to be put up. The staff there was not much aware of other fire safety equipment.
When DNA visited the emergency room, three fire extinguishers were working. But, it didn’t have fire sprinklers and dryers.
(With inputs from Vishwas Waghmode)
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