New CFO desires to equip all wards with fire engines

The city's new chief fire officer (CFO) Shashikant Kale, having 33 years of experience; 29 years in Mumbai Fire Brigade and four years as CFO in Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC), aims to make Mumbai fire compliant in a bid to reduce the response time during emergencies. Kale told the Free Press Journal that he will propose to equip all the 24 civic wards with individual fire engines. There is a need for reorganising the city’s fire stations.

"Whenever fire or any other disaster is reported, the first respondent is the concerned civic ward. These wards have engineers, labourers and other machineries, like JCB, but do not have any fire engine. Therefore, they have to report to the fire control and, accordingly, the nearest rescue team is sent to the spot. However, if the ward has fire engines of their own with a dedicated staff, it can immediately reach the spot. Parallelly, fire engines from our stations can also leave for the same. This can ensure the response time is reduced drastically. Moreover, the damage and human tragedy can be minimised to a larger extent, " Kale explained. Reportedly, on an average, over the last six years, Mumbai's fire brigade received nearly 5,000 fire calls every year. Short circuit was the most common reason for the outbreak of fire.

In Mumbai, there are 35 big and 17 mini fire stations. Kale informed, as per a report held on the city's rising population, it was suggested to develop fire stations. The report indicated that the city should have 50 big fire stations in order to handle the disaster efficiently. "As the need for 15 big fire stations is still to be attained, I will make sure I can fulfil the requirements."