In Vitebsk, at a meeting of the collegium of the regional Ministry of Emergency Situations, issues of fire safety of facilities with mass and round-the-clock occupancy were discussed
In March, a fire broke out in the dormitory of OJSC "Vityaz" in Vitebsk due to careless handling of fire, resulting in a death. A similar tragic outcome occurred with a fire in the dormitory of KUP "ZhREO" in Novopolotsk, which arose for the same reason – human negligence. Residents of dormitories often do not comply with fire safety regulations. Some may smoke in their rooms and forget to extinguish their cigarettes. Another reason is the overloading of electrical networks. Despite the fact that the wiring in dormitories leaves much to be desired, citizens still plug multiple electrical appliances into sockets simultaneously. To avoid disaster, it is necessary, first and foremost, to equip each dormitory with fire automation systems, which, as practice shows, allow for timely notification of a fire outbreak.
However, today 27 dormitories in the region are not equipped with them. 13 have alarm systems, but they are out of order. According to Yevgeny Kozlov, Head of the Supervision and Prevention Department of the regional Ministry of Emergency Situations, based on the results of inspections conducted this year, 959 violations of fire safety requirements were identified. Yes, most of the deficiencies have been rectified, but over 300 measures remain unfulfilled. Managers have faced appropriate penalties. This is evidence of the lack of departmental control over ensuring fire safety at facilities.
By the way, in December last year, the activities of the dormitory of Verkhnedvinsk Housing and Communal Services in Borkovichi were suspended, as the living conditions there were recognized as unsafe. This is an extreme measure that the fire department employees were forced to take.
Today, business entities that had claims from the Ministry of Emergency Situations have developed clear plans to ensure safe living conditions for residents in dormitories. These plans are to be implemented by the end of the current year. It is also necessary to strengthen preventive work among residents.
Ensuring fire safety of facilities with mass and round-the-clock presence of people, including dormitories, is one of the goals of Directive No. 1 of the President of the Republic of Belarus. Today, this task faces government bodies of all levels, heads of organizations regardless of ownership.