KOCHI: With shops selling crackers mushrooming in the city, the Fire and Rescue Department has dictated specific safety precautions to be taken by the shopkeepers selling fire crackers. “First of all, fire crackers should not be sold on roadside stalls.In case shop owners want to sell fire crackers, they should do so only after removing the other items in their shop,” said Joe Kuruvila Eso, Fire and Safety Divisional Officer, Kochi.“Also, the shop which sells crackers should be thoroughly checked before the crackers are stored.There should be at least a distance of 15 metres between two shops selling crackers.The same distance should be maintained between a cracker shop and any establishment selling inflammable materials like petrol pumps, ration shops and the like,” he added.Displaying a ‘no smoking’ sign, keeping a fire extinguisher handy, store a bucket of water and/or sand within easy reach, storing crackers in proper shelves and checking whether the electrical wiring in the shop is proper are some of the basic measures to be followed by the shopkeepers selling crackers, said officials with the Fire and Rescue Department.Despite the norm, the Fire and Rescue Department is yet to get the list of cracker shops that will be operating in the city.“In Thiruvananthapuram, the Fire and Rescue Department is given a list of the cracker shops which will be operating during the festive season by the District Administration.This will increase the effectiveness of rescue measures in case of emergency situations.However, we are yet to receive any such intimation from the District Administration of Kochi,” said sources.
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