Civic body proposes 11 new fire stations in Jaipur
PLAN Officials say there is need for more fire stations keeping in view the rising population
JAIPUR: The Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC) proposes to set up 11 fire stations in the city, said a senior official of the corporation.
At present, the city has 11 fire stations, out of which one has been set up in the walled city recently.
Jagdish Phulwariya, chief firefighting officer, JMC, said that keeping in view the rising population, there is a need for setting up more fire stations in the city.
“The city has crossed the mark of 30 lakh population and fire incidents occur not only in the well settled establishments, but also in the narrow lanes of the walled city. Often, firefighting vehicles are trapped in the city traffic when the distance of fire venue from the nearest fire station is large. We, therefore, have proposed to set up 11 more fire stations in the city to continue with the quick and effective firefighting service in the city,” he said.
Phulwariya said the maximum time a firefighting tender should take to reach the fire spot is about five minutes of receiving the information. However, owing to less number of fire stations in the city, the firefighters have to cover larger distances, which often delay the rescue efforts, he added.
The city has crossed the mark of 30 lakh population... We, therefore, have proposed to set up 11 more fire stations in the city to continue with the quick and effective firefighting service in the city
The JMC officials also complain of lack of manpower and equipment in the firefighting wing. The city does not have a hydraulic ladder to reach to a height of more than 32 metres to carry out the rescue operation, they said.
Phulwariya s ai d l ack of awareness among people and shortage of necessary firefighting equipment in government buildings were proving to be hindrance in lessening the fire losses. There have been instances when fire took place in the buildings which neither had a fire NOC (no objection certificate) nor fire safety equipment, he said. “Recently, a fire broke out at SMS hospital. The safety measures such as water sprinklers and fire alarm were not in place at the hospital,” he said.
Presently, the city has 144 permanent firemen, 14 fire engine drivers and about 120 firemen on deputation working across 11 fire stations in the city.
Thirteen posts of fire officials are lying vacant, which include three posts of fire officer, four of assistant fire officer and six posts of leading fireman.
The city has about 60 functional fire tenders. JAGDISH PHULWARIYA, chief firefighting officer, JMC