Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s fire and emergency services (OFES) has sounded an alarm after a statewide inspection drive found that nearly three out of every four buildings checked failed to meet mandatory fire safety standards, prompting authorities to issue notices to 3,404 establishments and direct them to undertake immediate corrective measures.Data accessed by TOI revealed that only 1,192 of the 4,596 govt and private buildings inspected across the state between Sept 15 and Oct 14 were compliant with prescribed fire safety norms. The remaining 74% were found to have one or more shortcomings that could compromise safety in the event of a fire or other emergency.The month-long special drive covered a wide range of high-footfall and vulnerable establishments, including hospitals, shopping malls, residential apartments, educational institutions, business units, mercantile buildings and places of public assembly.Officials identified several recurring deficiencies, including expired or invalid fire safety certificates, inadequate means of escape, non-functional fire detection and alarm systems, insufficient firefighting equipment, electrical safety lapses, inadequate fire-protection infrastructure, lack of access for fire service vehicles and poor emergency preparedness measures.DG (OFES) Sudhanshu Sarangi said the exercise was intended to improve compliance and strengthen preparedness rather than merely finding faults with errant establishments.“Our objective is not finding faults. The focus is on sensitising building owners and managers to urgently bridge the gaps identified during inspections. We have pinpointed fire-risk premises, assessed their compliance with prescribed norms and advised them to strengthen both prevention and emergency response mechanisms,” said Sarangi.IGP Uma Shankar Dash said the drive, conducted under the banner of ‘Surakshit Odisha, Vikashit Odisha’, sought to identify vulnerable establishments and ensure that deficiencies were addressed without delay.IGP Uma Shankar Dash said the drive, conducted under the banner of ‘Surakshit Odisha, Vikashit Odisha’, sought to identify vulnerable establishments and ensure that deficiencies were addressed without delay.“The campaign focused on physical verification of fire and life-safety measures, spread awareness among stakeholders, strengthened digital monitoring systems and initiated statutory action wherever necessary. The larger objective is to build a culture of fire safety and risk reduction across the state,” said Dash.The findings assume significance against backdrop of a written statement made by chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi in the assembly on Sept 28, which revealed that only 17 of 241 govt healthcare institutions required to obtain fire safety certificates currently possess valid certification.Officials said follow-up inspections and awareness drives would continue, with emphasis on ensuring corrective action and improving preparedness against potential fire hazards across Odisha.