Fire safety audit at Odisha COVID facilities to be held every fortnight

Bhubaneswar: In the wake of the fire mishap at Sadguru COVID Hospital in Jagatpur area of Odisha’s Cuttack on September 21, Fire Services Directorate has directed the concerned officers to conduct fire safety audit at COVID healthcare facilities across the state once every fortnight.

“The audit-cum-inspections of the COVID facilities are to be held once in every fortnight under your respective jurisdictions. Please note that the objectives of the fire audit and emergency drill are advisory and educative in nature to respond to any fire incident swiftly with the available resources,” the Fire Services Directorate said in a letter to the officers.

Worth mentioning, Sadguru COVID Hospital lacked the required fire safety certificate, Chief Fire Officer Sukanta Sethi had said.

As the fire broke out at the hospital, the patients  were shifted to other hospitals having ventilator facilities. There were around 130 patients admitted to the hospital when the mishap occurred.