• M. Kamakshi Kanchana

The majority of lower-income family houses in India measure around 400 square feet. This paper proposes a low-cost fire safety design for small houses measuring around 300-400 square feet in area. On an average around 10,000 fire accidents are reported in India annually and many more do not get reported. Thousands of people succumb to fire accidents every year. The usage of non-standard electric equipment and wiring is leading to many fire accidents apart from the kitchen and open fire-related accidents. With just 3000 fire stations across the country and slow response time, it is grossly inadequate to cover the entire population with public fire services. Building codes and fire safety norms are followed by very few high-rise buildings. Low-cost housing schemes seldom implement safety features. Design in this paper is based on components and equipment built as per Indian Standards Institution specifications. Low-cost and reliable fire sensors and warning systems are proposed along with fire safety and firefighting equipment. Prototypes of fire alarms are built with readily available components and results are reported. Detailed design instructions are provided so that local building contractors can procure, build and install low-cost fire alarm systems. The system design proposed in this paper can easily be implemented and it is a low-cost high-impact safety feature that can save lives and stop economic loss to lower-income families.

Fire Safety, Low-income households, Low-cost housing, Low-cost fire alarms, Fire safety design

"Low-Cost Fire Safety System Design for Low-cost Houses in India", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.9, Issue 9, page no.b295-b302, September-2022, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2209136.pdf

"Low-Cost Fire Safety System Design for Low-cost Houses in India", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.9, Issue 9, page no. ppb295-b302, September-2022, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2209136.pdf