The Delhi government has amended the Fire
Service Rules, introducing a comprehensive set of minimum fire prevention and
safety standards for buildings, including provisions for fire and smoke
barriers, encroachment-free access, emergency power and dedicated fire control
rooms.
The Delhi Fire Service (Amendment) Rules, 2026,
notified by the Home Department of the city government on August 28, provide
that the minimum standards applicable to buildings will be linked to their
height and class of occupancy and will be governed by the Building Bye-Laws.
The amendment in the rules comes in the wake of fire tragedies in the city in
the recent months, including the Malviya Nagar hotel fire that claimed the
lives of 23 persons, mostly foreign nationals, in June.
The amended rules lay down that buildings for
which fire prevention and safety measures are not specified in the Building
Bye-Laws, the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) director may require owners or
occupiers to adopt additional measures in accordance with the standards
prescribed by the fire prevention wing. The government may also relax, modify
or remove specific requirements for certain classes of occupancy or buildings
in special areas, according to the amended rules.
These rules will come into force from the date
on which the amended Unified Building Bye-Laws (UBBL)-2016 are notified by the
DDA. The Home Department notification clarifies that applications pending on
the date of commencement will continue to be processed under the provisions in
force on the date of application submission.
The amended rules have 18 categories of fire
safety measures to be considered for buildings under the provisions relating to
fire prevention and fire safety certification and issuance of no-objection
certificates by the DFS and third party auditors, officials said.
These include a minimum six-metre right of way
for fire engines up to the premises, protection of exits through fire check
doors or pressurisation, fire and smoke barriers, fire stops and smoke
management systems. Buildings will also be required to provide fire
extinguishers, first-aid hose reels, automatic fire detection and alarm
systems, MOEFA, public address or voice evacuation systems and automatic
sprinkler and fire suppression systems, as applicable.
The provisions further cover internal hydrants,
including wet risers and down-comers, yard hydrants and ring mains, as well as
fire pump houses with pumping arrangements and protected access for
firefighters. Measures such as captive water storage for firefighting, exit
signage, floor numbering and reflective tape marking in corridors leading to
exits have also been specified.
The rules provide for fire towers and fire
lifts, besides emergency power for critical fire and life-safety systems such
as pumps, pressurisation and smoke-venting systems, fireman’s lifts, emergency
lighting, fire alarm systems, public address systems, magnetic door-hold-open
devices and lighting in fire command centres.
Fire check floors and refuge areas, along with
fire control rooms equipped with automated continuous monitoring systems, have
also been included in the prescribed safety framework. The amended rules also
replace references to the “National Building Code of India” with “Building
Bye-Laws” in Rule 29 of Delhi Fire Service Rules.