VELLORE: The Director General of Police (DGP) of Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services, Seema Agarwal, on Tuesday said their department is gearing up for the northeast monsoon in collaboration with the district administration and other departments.
While speaking to presspersons in Vellore, she said that they are reviewing the kinds of disasters that may occur in each district and are suitably planning for resource deployment or augmentation, both within and in nearby districts.
“For instance, if there is a severe flood in one district, we would be deploying staff from nearby districts.” Mock drills are set to take place in the coming days. When asked about fire safety measures at high-rise buildings, especially in Tier-2 cities, as there is an increasing number of high-rise buildings these days, Agarwal said that there are certain measures that must be taken during the building plan itself.
“There must be a water tank on the lower floor and one at the top. There must be points from where water can be taken and sprinkled in case of fire. The buildings themselves must have fire safety measures and we make sure they have them before providing a license,” adding that the fire department would step in if they are unsuccessful in stopping it.
"Ladders needed for it are present and are being increased and deployed wherever needed."
She further noted that their department is already in a tie-up with the NDRF and SDRF to train their members on how to handle disasters that may occur in their districts.
“In Vellore, there is no possibility of flood or tsunami. In Tiruvannamalai, a landslide happened last year, so depending on the disaster that may occur in each district, our teams are trained.”