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REGD. No. D. L.-33004/99
The Gazette of India
CG-DL-E-22082026-275686
EXTRAORDINARY
PART III—Section 4
PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY
No. 516]
NEW DELHI, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2026/SHRAVAN 28, 1948
PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS REGULATORY BOARD
NOTIFICATION
New Delhi, the 17th August, 2026
F. No. PNGRB/Tech/7-T4SPI/(2)/2023 (E-4292) .— In exercise of the powers conferred by section 61 of
the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board Act, 2006 (19 of 2006), the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory
Board hereby makes the following Regulations to further amend the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board
(Technical Standards and Specifications including Safety Standards for Petroleum Installations) Regulations, 2020,
namely: -
1. Short title and commencement: -
1) These regulations may be called the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (Technical Standards and
Specifications including Safety Standards for Petroleum Installations) Amendment Regulations, 2026.
2) They shall come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.
2. In the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (Technical Standards and Specifications
including Safety Standards for Petroleum Installations) Regulations, 2020, -
(a) In Regulation 6, in serial no. (a)after the words ". .. Part - I" and before the words "which covers....", the
word "and Part - L" shall be inserted.
(b) In Schedule-1, after PART-K (Lube manufacturing and filling plants), the following shall be inserted,
namely: -
Part - L
(Fire & Emergency Response Augmentation -FERA)
14.0 Fire & Emergency Response Augmentation Facilities
14.1 FERA Facilities: Philosophy:
Level - III is an emergency or an incident with off-site impact which could be catastrophic and is likely to affect the
population, property, and environment inside and outside the installation. Hence, to prevent the progression of an
incident to a Level III emergency, Fire & Emergency Response Augmentation including expert/specialized
firefighters are required for ‘Extreme risk' Locations. Augmentation of Fire Facilities/Emergency Response is needed
to initiate response to any emergency immediately but not later than 30 minutes from the time of occurrence of
fire/leakage/spill and control / extinguish the fire within 65 minutes from initiation of firefighting to prevent a
catastrophic impact. The requirements of Part E (Fire Protection and Prevention Facilities) and any other provisions in
these regulations relating to fire water, water sprinkler system, foam systems, emergency response, mutual aid and
firefighting manpower deployment etc., shall be supplemented by this Part for identified Extreme Risk Locations.
14.2 Applicability:
This part will be applicable to Priority locations (both existing and upcoming) falling under the category of 'Extreme
Risk' locations as under:
(i) Petroleum installation having total storage in excess of 150 TKL of Class A and Class B petroleum products
(with Class C considered where co-existing).
(ii) Crude oil storage terminals, coastal crude receipt storage terminals and similar crude handling terminals of
strategic significance having total storage in excess of 150 TKL.
(iii) Cluster of petroleum installations (adjacent / nearby location i.e. located within 10 kms radius) having
cumulative storage in excess of 150 TKL of Class A and Class B petroleum products (with Class C considered
where co-existing).
Note: Timeline for Implementation of FERA facilities shall be as under:
+-----+-------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------+
| S. No | Storage Capacity in TKL | Implementation Schedule (from the date of publication in |
| | | official gazette) |
+-----+-------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------+
| 1 | 150-200 | within 5 years |
+-----+-------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------+
| 2 | 200-300 | within 3 years |
+-----+-------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------+
| 3 | 300 and above | Within 2 years |
+-----+-------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------+
14.3 Objective of FERA:
(i) To ensure state-of-the-art Firefighting/Emergency handling facilities and operational readiness for petroleum
installations with high storage volumes falling under the Priority Location category.
(ii) Each Priority Location shall establish and maintain FERA facilities with the intent to control major incidents
in its early stages and to prevent escalation into a Level-III emergency. Response to any fire shall commence
immediately but not later than 30 minutes from the time of occurrence of fire/leakage/spill and Fire should be
controlled / extinguished within 65 minutes from initiation of firefighting.
(iii) To deploy expert and specialized firefighting personnel at Priority Locations for rapid and effective
emergency response.
(iv) To establish a coordinated approach for implementation and mutual support under FERA across clusters of
installations.
14.4 FERA Facilities: Design, Infrastructure, Equipment and Manpower:
14.4.1 Design.
The basic design for fire protection system shall be as per Part E of these Regulations and applicable NFPA standards,
whichever is higher, including the following:
(i) Each Priority Location identified under clause 14.2 shall establish and maintain FERA facilities at a Host
Installation preferably with the highest diameter tanks, within the Cluster.
(ii) The fire water, foam and other Firefighting and rescue equipment etc. shall be shared between installations in a
cluster, to the maximum 50% of available fire water and foam shall be shared with other installations in case
of emergency within the cluster.
(iii) The Integrated Emergency Control Centre (IECC) of FERA facilities shall be preferably established at the
available Emergency Control Centre (ECC) of the Host installation within the clusters. Integrated ERDMP
document shall be prepared in case of continuous cluster.
(iv) In case the provisions under sub-clauses (i), (ii) and (iii) above are not feasible due to geographical constraints
etc., each isolated locations should develop its own facilities to combat major incident. Such locations shall
initiate response immediately but not later than 30 minutes from the time of occurrence of fire/leakage/spill
and Fire should be controlled / extinguished within 65 minutes from initiation of firefighting and shall have
20% more water and foam storage/pumping rate, in addition to the Basic design mentioned above.
(v) Foam compound at the Priority locations should be of similar type/specifications within a cluster.
(vi) After any emergency, fire water, foam & other resources shall be replenished to at least 50% (of statutory
minimum requirement) within 12 hours from the initiation of firefighting and fully replenished (100% of
statutory minimum requirement) within 24 hours of all clear siren.
14.4.2 Infrastructure & Equipment at the Host Installation.
(i) All the requirements of the equipment and supporting infrastructure including Fire and Foam Protection
System, Fire Water System, Fire Water & foam Storage, Fire water pumps, etc., shall be as per Part E of these
Regulations or latest NFPA standards, whichever is higher. Augmentation of fire water & foam systems shall
be based on risk assessment for cumulative storage and subsequent calculation of required water/foam, taking
into account available firefighting facilities including any bottlenecks, to ensure the required water/foam
application including storage, pumping and delivery rate/pressure.
(ii) Existing fire water & foam network shall be modified, if required, to ensure adequate flow rate and sharing of
water/foam within the cluster. Modifications should include interconnection of water/foam storage, pump
suction pipelines, pump discharge pipelines, etc.
(iii) If any augmentation of pumping is required, it shall preferably be done location having highest pumping
capacity, and discharge pipeline shall be extended to each installation within the cluster, preferably near to the
tank with the highest diameter.
(iv) Adequate number of equipment such as fixed & mobile HVLRs (trolly mounted) along with hoses of adequate
diameter (supporting the required flow rate), fire proximity suits, SCBA sets, PPEs, etc. shall be provided at
desired location.
(v) The Integrated Emergency Control Centre (IECC) of FERA facilities shall be equipped with all required
documents, communication facilities (including hotline service), Alarm Systems, CCTV monitoring, Drone etc.
for all installations within the cluster, as mandated for Emergency control centre (ECC) of each installation.
(vi) Dedicated FERA station shall be designed to house manpower as well as required equipment for
firefighting/emergency handling preferably near to the IECC and at location from where the response time to
all assisted installations is optimum.
(vii) As per maximum firewater flow/range requirement for the largest dia. tank, either one (of max. requirement)
high-capacity or two (part of max. requirement) medium-capacity, variable mobile HVLR foam monitor(s)
shall be provided.
(viii) Design of HVLR for capacity up to 12500 LPM (~3300 GPM) shall be as per IS:15811. HVLR of higher
capacity (more than 12500 LPM) shall conform to material specifications as per IS: 15811. Other
specifications of HVLR based on flow, range etc. shall be as finalized by the Technical Committee for T4S for
Petroleum Installations Regulations, 2020, until BIS standard for the same is notified.
(ix) HVLR shall be listed or approved by national or international certification such as BIS, UL or FM or
equivalent recognised HVLR certifying agencies.
14.4.3 Manpower/Trained Personnel Requirements.
Specialised and expert firefighting crew shall be deployed in FERA Station to ensure quick and effective response in
case of any fire or emergency.
(i) The FERA Facilities shall be maintained by a dedicated firefighting crew deployed on a round-the-clock basis,
with four (4) personnel per shift including one shift officer.
(ii) One officer in general shift with expertise in overseeing the entire firefighting operations, safety and providing
training.
(iii) The qualification criteria for the FERA firefighting crew shall be as follows:
+-----+-------------+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+------------------------------+
| Sr. | Designation | Duty/Shift Position | Qualification | Minimum Experience of |
| No. | | | | firefighting in |
| | | | | Hazardous industry |
+=====+=============+===================+==================================================+==============================+
| 1 | FERA | General Shift | BE / B Tech in Fire Engineering or | 07 years |
| | Incharge | Incharge | Fire & Safety Engineering | |
+-----+-------------+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+------------------------------+
| 2 | FERA | Shift Incharge | Graduate with Station officer | 05 years |
| | Officer | | certification from recognized Institute | |
+-----+-------------+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+------------------------------+
| 3 | FERA Crew | Shift Crew | Graduate with Sub officer | 02 years |
| | | | certification from a recognized | |
| | | | Institute | |
+-----+-------------+-------------------+--------------------------------------------------+------------------------------+
(iv) Each team must be competent in HVLR operation, fire pump operation, foam deployment, SCBA use, and
emergency coordination, etc.
(v) The manpower deployed shall maintain all the equipment besides carrying out routine checks/PMS of the
equipment, participate in mock drills etc. including providing training to the personnel of entity in firefighting.
(vi) FERA firefighting crew should be trained by competent agency/ person as decided by Governing committee
once in a year.
(vii) FERA Crew will regularly impart training to officials/security personnel, contractor manpower with respect to
hazards and emergency handling.
14.5 FERA Facilities: Ownership and Operating Models:
(a) FERA facilities shall be provided as per following:
(i) In case of single isolated installation, the concerned entity shall set up FERA facilities and provide
required manpower on its own or through outsourcing to professional firefighting agency(s) through
authorized contracts.
(ii) In case of cluster of locations, all concerned entities shall jointly setup FERA facilities on cost sharing
basis in proportion to their total tank storage capacity and provide required manpower on their own or
through outsourcing to professional firefighting agency(s) through authorized contracts.
(b) In case of outsourcing, vendor selection should be based on QCBS tendering (having Technical Criteria
weightage-70%). The tender/contract terms and conditions shall include stringent penalty provisions for the
vendor in case of any non-compliance of statutory rules/regulations or deficiency in performance during
mock drill or actual emergency.
(c) A governing committee shall be formed constituting of members of all installations within the cluster who
shall define/decide:
(i) ownership, location, custody and maintenance responsibility for the FERA Facilities assets;
(ii) activation protocol for mobilisation of the FERA Facilities to any installation within the Cluster, including
communication and authorisation steps;
(iii) command and control during an incident,
(iv) arrangements for coordination with mutual aid members, local / district crisis groups and off-site
emergency response agencies.
(v) cost sharing, funding and reimbursement arrangements for capital expenditure and operating
expenditure;
(vi) liability, indemnification and damage to / replenishment of FERA Facilities resources used in an
emergency; and
(vii) procedures for readiness review, maintenance, drills, competency assurance, reporting and audit.
(viii) Any other processes or SOPs as deemed fit by the governing committee, etc.
(ix) Allowing any other oil and gas installation to use FERA facilities on cost sharing basis.
14.6 Audits and Compliances:
(a) The FERA In-charge shall carry out a monthly internal audit of the FERA facilities and submit the audit report
to the Governing Committee for review and necessary action.
(b) The Governing Committee shall conduct an annual audit of the FERA system to ensure compliance with
applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.
(c) T4S and ERDMP audits for Petroleum Installations shall be carried out every three (3) years and five (5)
years respectively. Provided that where the auditee installation forms part of a cluster housing FERA
facilities, the audit and mock drill of such FERA facilities shall be undertaken as part of the cluster-wide
assessment.
(d) In case of a cluster-based FERA facility, an audit shall be conducted by a PNGRB- empaneled TPIA at the
time of pre-commissioning of the FERA facilities.
Applicable Codes, Standards and Regulations:
• IS 15105: Design And Installation of Fixed Automatic Sprinkler Fire Extinguishing Systems Code of
Practice
• IS 15811: Long-Range Water-cum-Foam Monitor with Self-Inducting, Aspirating and Non-Aspirating Jet and
Spray/Fog Nozzle for Fire Fighting -Specification
• NFPA - 11: Standard for Low-, Medium-, and High-Expansion Foam
• NFPA - 13: Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems
• NFPA - 14: Standard for the Installation of Standpipe and Hose Systems
• NFPA - 15: Standard for Water Spray Fixed Systems for Fire Protection
• NFPA - 20: Standard for the Installation of Stationary Pumps for Fire Protection
• NFPA - 22: Standard for Water Tanks for Private Fire Protection
• NFPA - 24: Standard for the Installation of Private Fire Service Mains and Their Appurtenances
ANJAN KUMAR MISHRA, Secy.
[ADVT.-III/4/Exty./285/2026-27]
Foot Note:
1. The principal regulations, Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (Technical Standards and
Specifications including Safety Standards for Petroleum Installations) Regulations, 2020, were notified in
the official Gazette vide F. No. PNGRB/Tech/7- T4SPI (1)/2020, dated 11th November 2020
2. The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (Technical Standards and Specifications including Safety
Standards for Petroleum Installations) Amendment Regulations, 2023, were notified in the official Gazette
vide F. No. PNGRB/Tech/7- T4SPI/(1)/2022 (P-4116), dated 29th March 2023.
3. The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (Technical Standards and Specifications including Safety
Standards for Petroleum Installations) Regulations, 2020) Amendment Regulations, 2025, were notifies in
the official Gazette vide PNGRB/Tech/18-penalty-T4S Reg./(9)/2024(E-5488)/ dated 23rd July 2025
Uploaded by Dte. of Printing at Government of India Press, Ring Road, Mayapuri, New Delhi-110064
and Published by the Controller of Publications, Delhi-110054.
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