Bangladesh Infrastructure Finance Fund Limited (BIFFL) organized a day-long symposium on “Financing Building Management System and Fire Safety” at CIRDAP Auditorium in the capital recently.
The symposium was attended by industry specialists, engineers and experts who focused on ways in which people can be aware about fire safety rules and regulations at a personal and institutional level.
The presentations focused on critical issues of weak enforcement and practice of rules and regulations. It further elaborated on limitation of resources, lack of technical knowledge particularly regarding the insufficient financing scope in ensuring proper Building Management Systems and Fire Safety.
The topics presented at the symposium provided clear recommendations on preventing fires and stopping external fire spreads. Emphasis was given ensuring electrical safety as it is the number one cause of fire in most cases.
The presenters all urged fellow engineers to build multi-storied buildings and commercial complexes according to the procedures mandated by the Bangladesh National Building Code 2006.
M. Zakir Hossain, CE, YC & Project Administrator, EECPFP made the introductory remarks which was followed by speeches from Mohammad Sagir Hossain Khan, Chief Operating Officer, BIFFL, Md. Sharafat Ullah Khan, DGM, SME & Special Programs Department, Bangladesh Bank, Engr. Mohd. Rezaul Hoq, Director, Energy & Conservation, SREDA, S.A Abdullah Al Mamun, Senior Project Officer, AFD, Bangladesh Office, Anirban Kundu, Director KfW Development Bank, Bangladesh and S.M Formanul Islam, Executive Director & CEO, BIFFL.
Major A K M Shakil Newaj, Director (O&M), Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defense, Prof.Dr. Md. Maksud Helali, Department of ME, BUET, VedranKrstulovi, Director, EIHP (Croatia) & Industry Specialist & Capacity Building Expert, EECPFP, Engr. M. Omar Faruq, CEO, FMEC & EE Expert, EECPFT, Engr. Hasmotuzzaman, CEO & MEP Consultant, Utility Professionals and Md. Tanvir Warsi, Head of Financial Relations, BIFFL, provided detailed technical presentations on National Standards of Fire Safety, Building Structural Safety, Energy Efficiency and Building Management System, Electrical Safety, Fire and Life Safety and Financing Scope on BMS and Fire Safety, respectively, in the event.
Engr. M. Omar Faruq recommended setting up the safer Busbar Trunking System over the conventional cable distribution found in most residences and office buildings. VedranKrstulović also presented the steps towards building more energy efficient systems with a focus on creating energy efficient solutions for heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC). Recommended design changes from the panel also included the use of fire-retardant glass, smoke control, designing a better corridor system for buildings and fire escape routes.
Major A K M Shakil Newaj talked about the challenges faced by fire fighters, observing that traffic jam, narrow roads, lack of water sources and delayed information are hurdles that they have to get through in order to tackle fire breakouts.
The program was geared solely towards addressing the infrastructural hazards which cause fires, and in that regard, it provided a lot of details on how to create safer homes and offices and businesses which prevent fires from happening in the first place. In that regard, S.M. Formanul Islam said, “The goal of the symposium is to learn how we can prevent fire incidents and minimize the damages in case of the accident.BIFFL is planning to extend soft loans sourced from JICA and development partners for implementing building management system (BMS) by the builders."
-rmc//
