Fire Dept ill-prepared for major incident
Ferozepur November 25, 2017: The Fire Department in the city is badly equipped to handle any major fire incident as one heavy vehicle and motor-cycle are out of order and also facing staff crunch and does not even have the equipment to douse flames in high buildings in the city.
Fire tenders in any city are the immediate source to control the fire incident. Despite two major fire incidents in the state, no steps have been taken to put the existing fire tenders in order for use in any eventuality.
As per the norm, the fire station should be equipped with the staff of 24 persons for 50,000 people while there are only two vehicles and one mini fire tender but no ambulance.
In certain districts of Punjab are already short of fire tenders and staff as well, the Ferozepur district has three big fire extinguishers’ vehicles and one small van to reach to the interior part of the city. But one out of the three vehicles is standing idle for the last so many years. Even the motorcycle equipped with the fire tender equipment is also out of order. While there is only one fire tender in Ferozepur Cantonment.
When the Fire Brigade officials revealed that one vehicle is out of order and an intimation to this effect has been given to the department and district administration.
Captain Singh however informed that all safety arrangements for firemen available besides the required infrastructure to control the fire from gas, petrol or otherwise.
He said, there are around 22 officials including 12 from outsourcing – 4 drivers and 12 firemen, who are demanding for the regularization.
Such staff needs to be regularized so that in the event of any untoward incident while controlling the fire, the family members are suitably compensated.
