BRAHMAPURAM : Battling toxic fumes, thick smoke and a scorching summer sun, over 200 firefighters, from as far as Thiruvananthapuram to Kannur, had been stationed at Brahmapuram waste treatment plant to douse the fire from the smouldering heaps of garbage. These unsung heroes have been working tirelessly on a two-shift system for the past nine days. This is the longest time the group has spent at a disaster site. “We are working ignoring the health hazards we may face in the future for breathing in poisonous gas such as dioxin,” said J S Sujith Kumar, divisional fire officer, visibly tired but satisfied with the progress made so far.
The fire started last Thursday and has spread to over 70 acres of the 115-acre Brahmapuram plant. About 60% of the fire is doused by now.“We are trying our best to douse the remaining fire in the next two days. Every evening, we conduct a meeting and plan the next day’s operation,” Sujith said.
“We are rotating the firefighters so that they don’t get exhausted. We also have standby units to take over the operation if required,” he added. A shift lasts around 12 hours. There are two breaks in between.Another officer said the firefighters are taking enough precautions, but the likely health impact of their long hours inhaling hazardous smoke will only be known later. The District Administration had organised a health camp for firefighters and other volunteers. It has also supplied gas masks.
“No person is allowed at the plant without wearing gas masks. Some officers had reported breathing difficulties. They were shifted to the hospital,” said the officer from Kochi’s Gandhi Nagar unit.
Over fifty fire tenders are pressed into service at the plant. Another 50 are on standby. Fire tenders of the Indian Navy, Kochi Port Trust and BPCL are also engaged in the operation. Apart from this, 36 earthmovers are deployed. There are also units of the Health Department stationed at the plant to administer emergency medical aid.
Besides, 70 Civil Defence volunteers, 35 officials of Kochi Corporation, 19 Indian Navy men, eight officials of Kochi Port Trust, and five officials of BPCL have also been tasked with dousing the fire and related operations.
The unpredictable nature of the wind at the plant site poses a major challenge to firefighting operations. “Due to the geographical nature of the place, the wind is very frequent in the area. It exacerbates the situation, and fire continues to spread further,” an officer said. “When we douse a fire at one sector, it starts burning in another. No doubt the firefighters are exhausted,” another officer added.