While India has made significant progress in the area of ‘Fire Protection’ in recent years, especially with the recent revisions to the National Building Code, there is still a need for more focused research on specific areas, especially ‘Passive Fire Protection Systems’, a set of components or systems of a building or structure that help in containing the fire and prevent it from spreading further. Towards this, the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) has taken the initiative to engage with HILTI India to enhance test facilities for ‘Passive Fire Protection Systems’. Such a facility at IITGN will enable researchers to study different design aspects, materials, and other related factors closely under Indian operating conditions and also enable testing of products to specific national and international standards. 

Speaking on the new collaboration, Dr Gaurav Srivastava, Coordinator, Centre for Safety Engineering, IITGN, mentioned, “The rate of inherent fire load in the built environment has increased enormously in recent years, and hence there is an immediate need in the country to elevate understanding of Passive Fire protection measures to contain the fire in place of its origin. This academia-industry collaboration will help in elevating the understanding of the importance of passive fire protection in the built environment”. 

Mr Jayant Kumar, General Manager, Hilti (India) Pvt Ltd, added, “As industry leaders in the field of Passive Fire protection, we are proud of this collaboration with IIT Gandhinagar. It is a unique opportunity as it not only aims to save lives and protect assets using the latest fire protection technologies but also intends to elevate the understanding of passive fire protection systems amongst various critical stakeholders in the construction industry”.