Instead of spending hundreds of crore of rupees on buying and upgrading equipment to douse fires, the time has come to brainstorm on how to preempt such incidents, Delhi Fire Service director Atul Garg tells Ujwal Jalali in an exclusive interview.
Excerpts:
What steps are being taken to deal with fire incidents during the summer?
Delhi Fire Service is the first responder in almost every type of emergency. It is common for fire incidents to go up during the summer but we are fully prepared to tackle any emergency. The department receives 150-160 calls every day in this season, which could rise in June and July. Every year, we get all the fire tenders and other equipment repaired beforehand in February itself and discourage leave to the staff.
What factors lead to increase in fire incidents, especially in the summer?
An increased load on electrical wires and devices during the summer months make it easier for short circuits to take place, thereby causing fires. So one needs to keep checking and avoid overloading of electrical devices.
What is the role of your department in grant of NOCs to commercial buildings?
We are not a licensing department and do not directly deal with the public. It is always the police or the concerned civic agency which sends the case to us for a recommendation. We inspect and check the building for fire safety standards. If not satisfied, we do not issue a NOC. We do not have field survey staff unlike the police or the MCD. When there is a fire incident, our primary duty is extinguish the fire.
Do we need more regulations to deal with the issue?
No amount of regulation will help. We have to work on a different strategy, which is public awareness, education, and creating technical know-how. We get around 30,000 calls every year and have Rs 300-400 crore every year to buy equipment. But why should we even need all this equipment? Nobody is focusing how to prevent fire incidents. We are geared up to deal with calamities but the time has now come to change the strategy.
How do you deal with crisis in congested areas?
In order to negotiate congested lanes and heavy traffic, we have a water mist system mounted on motorcycles (MCFR). These motorcycles can immediately reach the incident spot right away. The vehicle is very useful to attack small fires, electric fires, fires in the incipient stage or deal with the situation till the backup support reaches. We have also inducted fully-automatic articulated turntable ladders imported from Germany to tackle fires and conduct rescue operations in high-rises. We had also inducted two Remote-Controlled Fire Fighting Machines – popularly known as ROBOTS.
Does the department have adequate staff?
Delhi received the highest budget for fire services: Rs 600 crore in 2022. This is the highest budget any state has ever received in India. We are utilizing this amount in buying modern tech and equipment for firefighting. Currently, we have no shortage of staff. We are in the process to fill up 500 posts. At present, we have 2,800 firefighters.