Fire NOC validity extended to 5 years, but experts sceptical

Panaji: The home department has said that the NOC issued by the directorate of fire and emergency services will be valid for five years. However, the approval is subject to the owners of buildings submitting a self-declaration every year stating that the fire protection mechanism is regularly maintained and fully functional.This, however, has authorities worried as experience shows that many commercial establishments do not maintain firefighting equipment. Recently, the fire department found that the fire prevention mechanism at the Panaji municipal market was defunct.“To streamline the procedure of the renewal of the NOC, govt has decided to relax the provision of renewal of the NOC from the directorate of fire and emergency services (DFES) and extend the renewal period from one year to five years,” said the home department’s notification.

“The renewal shall be applicable to both low-risk and high-risk buildings.”However, each year, the owner or occupier of a building must submit a self-declaration on stamp paper stating that firefighting equipment installed in the building is regularly maintained, functional, and can be operated in case of an emergency.“It is a good thing but they need to take care of the fire protection system. They need to maintain it otherwise we can inspect anytime and revoke the permission,” said DFES director Nitin Raiker.

“This is as per central govt’s ease of doing business policy and thus a proactive measure.”After the five-year period, the fire department will renew the NOC after a fresh inspection if the fire protection mechanism is found to be in working condition.“Very often we find that the hose reel, the fire suppression system, and fire extinguishers are not maintained,” said a fire safety expert. “Now for five years, they will forget about it.

This is a risk because not every building is compliant.”A designated officer from the DFES can conduct the fire prevention inspection at any time to evaluate the efficacy of the protection arrangements.“If the fire protection arrangements are found to be non-operational or not in compliance, the designated officer holds the authority to revoke the NOC, after giving a reasonable opportunity of hearing,” said the home department notification.