In the line of fire, Delhi firemen say not afraid of risks
On Wednesday evening, 52-year-old Bijender (who goes by his first name), a fireman with the Delhi Fire Services lost his life in the line of duty, when he was trying to douse a fire at an electric heater manufacturing factory in Anand Parbat Industrial Area.
The incident comes only about two months after two firemen passed away during an operation in Vikaspuri. A couple of months before that two firemen lost their lives in a fire incident in Narela.
The risk of injuries and mortality is part and parcel of the lives of firemen. However, they are always the first responders to any distress call.
By 7 pm on Thursday, officials at the Delhi Fire Services control room claimed to have already responded to at least 50 calls.
“We have 15 phone lines. Each one rings at least twice every minute. Sometimes it’s about a fire, sometimes it’s about building collapse or other emergencies. We have to save everybody. People, animals, everyone,” said an operator at DFS control room.
The high risk of mortality, despite the protective gear, do not deter them from doing their duty.
“We have chosen these jobs for ourselves. Yes, there are risks involved. But we save lives. We cannot be afraid of the fire, when there are lives at stake. Bijender had also entered a burning building to save lives,” explained Atul Garg, the chief fire officer of central and south Delhi zone and the fire prevention wing.
Garg said his men continued to fight the flames, even after one of their own died and two others were injured.
“At the borders you go to war rarely. Firefighters are at multiple battles every day. But we do not go into our jobs expecting to get hurt. When I broke my spine and collar bone (trying to rescue people from the Uphaar Cinema fire), I had never imagined that it would happen to me,” SK Dheri, an ex fire serviceman, who was injured in the 1997 fire, said.
Though these men seem to have hearts of steel, they agree their families may not be immune to the pressures of their job.
“Your family is usually under more stress. I think my wife and kids are usually more worried about me than I am. Whenever I am on duty and have to go to a spot, my family keeps trying to call me. If they can’t get in touch with me, they will try contacting the control room to make sure I am okay. That I am still alive,” explained Garg.
Bijender, the fireman who lost his life on Wednesday, is survived by three sons who are all working with the Delhi Police and his wife, according to Garg.
Despite losing five men over a span of five months, Garg said he and his team have not lost heart. If anything, they are more resolute than ever. “We will continue to work. It is our duty,” he said.