An app to flag fire safety violations
It was calm February evening until a major fire broke out at the Carlton Towers , a multi-storeyed commercial complex , on the Old Airport Road in 2010. The incident killed nine persons. Three of them jumped to death in panic. Several others suffered major injuries. Fire fighters took more than two hours to douse the inferno.
Since then, Beyond Carlton -- a group of volunteers -- has been championing the cause of fire safety measures in the city. The group, in which some of the members lost their kin in the 2010 fire, has even done door-to-door campaign to explain the importance of fire safety regulation. To strengthen their cause they tied up with Janaagraha Online, social media branch of theNGO Janaagraha , to launch an app called FireChamp . “We also have the Karnataka Fire and Emergency Services Department on board. They were very enthusiast to learn about the app when we first approached them two months ago,” Sylvia Veeraraghavan, co-ordinate Janaagraha Online, told Bangalore Mirror.
How it works
4-22 Already available onGoogle Playstore , the app is compatible with IOS and Android platform. Once downloaded, the app allows you to take a photograph of any irregularity you may find in your office space, apartments, commercial space or even government buildings.
Based on an ‘escalation’ mechanism, in case an inspector does not attend to the complaint then the matter is escalated to the Head of Karnataka Fire and Emergency Services.
Since then, Beyond Carlton -- a group of volunteers -- has been championing the cause of fire safety measures in the city. The group, in which some of the members lost their kin in the 2010 fire, has even done door-to-door campaign to explain the importance of fire safety regulation. To strengthen their cause they tied up with Janaagraha Online, social media branch of the
How it works
4-22 Already available on
“Even to this day, despite the Carlton Tower tragedy, many buildings have their fire-exit doors bolted, defunct fire extinguishers and so on. Once you click a picture and upload it, the details appear on ichangemycity website which has over 50,000 registered members. Subsequently, the Karnataka Fire and Emergency Services will send their inspector to check the place if it fulfils the fire safety norms within seven days of the picture being uploaded,” Veeraraghavan explains. You can also browse through the reports of violations posted by other FireChamp users in the city. Meanwhile the Janaagraha Online team will email and update the user when it receives response from the cencern department and the user will also be able to follow up with their representative who will take the necessary action.
Based on an ‘escalation’ mechanism, in case an inspector does not attend to the complaint then the matter is escalated to the Head of Karnataka Fire and Emergency Services.
