PANAJI
The Goa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) has decided to undertake a comprehensive fire safety audit and risk assessment across all its 24 industrial estates, aiming to strengthen disaster preparedness, plug critical gaps, and ensure strict compliance with national safety standards.
Managing industrial estates spread over nearly 4,450 acres, IDC has invited proposals from reputed agencies through a transparent two-cover bidding process. The selected agency will be tasked with completing the audit within 16 weeks, including field testing and submission of detailed reports.
Officials said the move follows internal reviews and stakeholder feedback that highlighted the urgent need to upgrade fire safety systems, assess preparedness levels, and align infrastructure with the National Building Code (NBC) 2016, the Factories Act, 1948, and the Industrial Park Rating System (IPRS) 3.0 norms.
As part of the exercise, the empanelled agency will undertake a detailed analysis of existing firefighting systems in each industrial estate, assessing their adequacy in addressing fire risks. The audit will identify deficiencies in current systems and recommend critical interventions, including upgrades or installation of new firefighting infrastructure to meet statutory standards.
At present, IDC’s fire-fighting infrastructure is integrated with internal water supply systems, with hydrants placed at intervals of 50 to 80 metres. These are supported by PWD water sources, ground-level and overhead reservoirs, pump houses, and booster systems to facilitate emergency response.
The scope of the study also includes a comprehensive risk assessment of each estate. This will involve analysing the type of industries and their operational profile, classifying them into low, moderate, and high hazard categories. A vulnerability and exposure analysis will be carried out to assess risks to human life, assets, critical infrastructure, utilities, and neighbouring units in the event of a fire.
Additionally, the agency will evaluate emergency preparedness and response capabilities, including existing response plans, availability of firefighting resources, personnel readiness, mock drills, communication systems, and accessibility for fire tenders.
A gap assessment will compare current infrastructure and practices with applicable fire safety codes and best practices to identify shortcomings in fire protection systems, emergency readiness, and compliance measures. Based on these findings, a risk rating matrix will be developed, along with mitigation strategies encompassing engineering, administrative, and operational measures.
The agency will also prepare detailed project reports (DPRs) for each industrial estate, outlining findings of the fire safety audit and risk assessment, along with cost estimates and prioritised action plans for implementation.
