The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Gandhinagar will expand its efforts in Fire Safety Engineering by establishing a new fire testing lab and engaging in a variety of scholarly activities to boost research and development in the country’s fire safety sector.
Mukesh Shah, Managing Partner of the Ahmedabad-based Shah Bhogilal Jethalal & Bros (AAAG India), one of India’s leading fire fighting equipment manufacturers, has provided generous support for this cause.
In appreciation of his gesture, the Institute will name its new fire-testing research lab as the ‘Shah Bhogilal Jethalal Laboratory for Passive Fire System Testing’, in memory of Mukesh Shah’s grandfather and founder of the Shah Bhogilal Jethalal & Bros.
IITGN pursues high-impact research and quality education in the field of safety with its Centre for Safety Engineering (CSE), which is committed to promoting a culture of safety and is mainly focused on fire safety.
In collaboration with Underwriters Laboratory in the United States, IITGN also established the first facade fire test facility in South Asia. Through critical testing of building elements, the new lab will help improve fire safety in high-rise buildings, airports, metro rail, and other infrastructure projects.
The Institute will also multiply various activities of the Centre for Safety Engineering, with a special emphasis on Fire Safety Engineering, as a result of this.
These will include laboratory development and augmentation, teaching of courses, inviting eminent scholars as visiting professors or scholars-in-residence, and organising seminars, conferences, or other scholarly endeavours in this area.
Speaking on the new collaboration for advancing Fire Safety Engineering, Professor Amit Prashant, Officiating Director, IITGN, said, “With rapidly evolving usage of different kinds of materials in residential and industrial projects, advanced research and education in fire safety engineering is the need of the hour to understand and be prepared for the future challenges in different fire hazard scenarios”.
Sharing his thoughts, Mukesh Shah, Managing Partner, Shah Bhogilal Jethalal & Bros (AAAG India), said, “We, at AAAG India, have always supported the cause of Fire Safety. Emerging technologies and interdisciplinary research have the capacity to provide effective solutions to mitigate various scenarios of fire hazards”.