West Bengal government directs authorities to set up hospital level fire safety committees

Kolkata: As part of the West Bengal government's ongoing efforts to improve the fire safety infrastructure in hospitals across the state, it has passed an order directing the setting up of Hospital Level Fire Safety committees to ensure proper fire safety mechanisms.

The Department of Health and Family Welfare issued the government order on Monday, May 29, directing all the principals of medical college and hospitals and the chief medical officer of health (CMoH) in all the districts to set up the committees at the hospitals included under 'Other Hospital Categories', along with the already included district hospitals, medical colleges, sub-divisional hospitals, state general hospitals and the superspecialty hospitals. 

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The committee has been mandated to have one representative from the Health and Family Welfare Department, one engineer from the Civil and Electrical Wing of Public Works Department (PWD), and one representative from the Fire and Emergency Services Department. 

Listing out the committee's responsibilities, the order states, "This committee will meet fortnightly for joint inspection and take all necessary steps for fire safety as mandated in the aforesaid notification."