Here's why TV sets are in the line of fire

Time of India

3 days ago

The death of a technician on the sets of Star Plus's Imlie sent shockwaves through the TV industry. Sets of shows catching fire and accidents involving the cast and crew are not new and often raise safety concerns.
Long shoots, telecast deadlines looming large and cost cutting often result in safety not being the top priority.
Producer Tony Singh from DJ's a Creative Unit says his team has been actively working on taking steps to ensure that the sets of his upcoming shows are safe. He says, "We shoot with LED lights that generate less heat than regular lights, that is one of the biggest steps we are taking towards the safety of our cast and crew.
Besides that we have fire extinguishers on set and shoot at studios that have approvals from the fire department so they are safe and compliant to shoot safely.
Cables and sockets are checked regularly to avoid short circuits which are a major factor that lead to fires. We ensure the light men on set wear helmets, gloves and rubber shoes for their safety. What would also help is if studios are upgraded, if you visit Filmcity, the studios are in sheds made out of cement and metal sheets, which are unsafe."
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Singh's sets of Shaurya Aur Anokhi Ki Kahani had caught fire due to a short circuit with the air conditioner in December 2020. "We were lucky it was a small fire and not much damage was done, I have heard of entire sets being burned down. We have insurance for fires, safety of the unit and accidents. Even channels ensure that studios have all the required licenses, be it the BMC license to put up sets or fire licenses besides insurances," he says.
Actress
Ayesha
Singh, was asleep on the sets of her show Ghum Hai Kisikey Pyaar Meiin when it caught fire and was saved in time when she was woke up with a jolt after her room was filled with smoke. She recalls, "I woke up coughing and then realised the set was on fire. Most others had already left the set by then and I was helped to escape right in time. My car got damaged in the process but I'm glad no life was lost. The only area of the set that remained was close to water tankers.
It's easy to say that one should have water tanks on set but I know that it's difficult because of water scarcity. I will never forget that accident, we spent so many hours on set and the cast and crew became like family. To see one's family in danger and see the entire set burned down was the worst feeling. We had shot on that set for two years and I had grown emotionally attached to it. On my last day when I left the show though we were on a new set, I visited the old one and touched the ground, though there was nothing left.
We were lucky that no one was injured and the firefighters helped all of us escape."
Neil Bhatt
, actor who played the male lead in the same show added, "We work on the sets for 12-13 hours a day and it is like our home. When the sets of Ghum Hai Kisikey Pyaar Meiin burned down it felt like our home was destroyed. Though we were really affected by the incident, our makers ensured a new place was arranged immediately and the script was changed to accommodate the new location and circumstances that we were facing.
We were never made to feel out of work and were happy about that.
The cast and crew would feel safe if the set is fire compliant. Having an ambulance and doctor available at all times is also important you never know when a tragedy is waiting to happen."
Actress Pooja Banerjee has been part of two major accidents, one where she had fall on the sets of Nach Baliye 9 resulting in multiple fractures and injuries and the other being the sets of
Kumkum Bhagya
catching fire.
Banerjee says, "Post Covid the number of people on set are being curbed, which wasn't the case earlier and production people keep an eye on how things are moving. We are still not spending the amount of money on safety that we spend on promotions and getting actors on board. It's not just the production house, even as artists we need to put our foot down in certain matters but if you do that you are accused of throwing tantrums.
The artist associations need to provide guidelines to producers and vice versa. When the sets of Kumkum Bhagya caught fire we were lucky there was no loss of life. The fire brigade arrived immediately, everybody was helped to move out. My room on set was burned down but I was grateful to be safe. The Nach Baliye accident taught me not to push myself beyond what I can take, it's alright to take things easy."
Anil Chawan, former Navy engineer and owner of Protsahan fire and safety solutions provides fire fighters for major shows and says often production houses and studios avoid hiring trained personnel to cut costs resulting in accidents that could have been avoided.
He explains, "An NOC from the BMC's fire department is necessary for commercial shoots that require temporary structures to be erected. A fire officer will guide you about what precautions should be taken depending on the set.
If an action scene with fire is being shot, fire tenders should be on standby, besides portable fire extinguishers. While shooting in closed locations, a fire alarm system should be installed, with fire, smoke and heat sensors.
The spotlight used for shooting can get overheated and cause a fire if it comes in contact with cloth. If there are multiple studios at the location a 24x7 firefighting team has to be hired."
He recommends that the production house should ensure that the studio provides them with firefighting facilities as part of their contract, "Production houses usually also have their own firefighting team but they hire incompetent people with no proper training to cut costs. My company ensures each firefighter is trained for a year and has at least six months of work experience. As a result our charges are more. A trained fire professional who holds a diploma in fire and safety from a recognised university can earn upto 22,000 to 24,000 per month.
A professional with a year's experience can make upto 28 to 30,000 per month. Many studios hire people for Rs 200 per day who have only trained for two-three days."
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