Hyderabad: Amid a sharp rise in accidents, the Telangana fire dept has decided to engage 50 third-party agencies to conduct fire safety audits across the state.The agencies, chosen after a stringent selection process, will inspect residential and commercial structures for multiple safety parameters: availability of firefighting equipment like extinguishers, smoke and fire detectors, sprinklers, alarm systems, electrical control panels, water tankers and life-saving systems like emergency exits, staircases, and lifts to evacuate the building during emergencies, including fire accidents.Telangana has at least 5 lakh buildings that need to meet these fire safety norms. The last survey conducted by the fire dept was in 2023 when it managed to cover only 3,000 high-rises across the state. Within Hyderabad limits, GHMC audited just about 5,000 buildings, despite there being close to 1.5 lakh odd buildings in the city.“While we have been conducting third-party audits since 2023, we had only five agencies involved in the work until now. Since it was not adequate, we have decided to rope in more agencies from the state,” said a senior fire official, adding, that agencies will comprise experts in fire safety along with retired officials from the fire dept. The audits will be conducted in accordance with the national building code and carried out once in two years. Officials said that a proposal to this effect has been submitted to the state govt for approval. “We have recommended a revision in the previous guidelines to ensure we can bring more agencies on board for the work. The new framework will introduce a classification system where agencies will be assigned buildings categorised as A/B/C (high-rise/medium/small). These guidelines are currently under development,” said Y Nagi Reddy, director general, fire services.Experts say that such comprehensive audits are crucial as they help in detecting potential fire risks, evaluate current safety protocols and equipment effectiveness. “On completion of the audit, a document is produced and handed over to the fire dept, outlining findings and areas of concern, and offering suggestions for protection of the premises. These suggestions ensure the premises are adequately equipped to handle fire-related emergencies,” C Andrew, an expert from Tehcno Fire Consultants, who regularly conducts fire audits.“While enhancing manpower by roping in more agencies is a good move, the fire dept has to ultimately ensure that the recommendations are implemented. Only then can we avert such tragedies,” he added.