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| M.V. Rao at his ofice in Ranchi |
Trauma of a fire accident is the biggest problem being faced by the fire service personnel, believes M.V. Rao, inspector-general of police (home guard) and in-charge of Jharkhand Fire Service.
Talking to Rudra Biswas, Rao said though the state fire service is now equipped with trained manpower, but ignorance of the people often pose the biggest challenge for his men while dealing with exigencies.
How safe are the highrise buildings?
According to the rules, before sanctioning a building plan, RRDA sends it to us for various fire safety measures. The development authorities then asks the promoter to incorporate our suggestions. The problem is that the residents buy flats in high rise buildings without checking if a proper “occupancy certificate” has been issued by RRDA. Buyers even do not care to see, if the various fire safety suggestions have been implemented.
Are only citizens to blame?
Lack of awareness poses our biggest threat. In highrise buildings, residents do not care to install sufficient numbers of fire extinguishers. When fairs are organised in the city, we suggest safety measures, including the number of exit points and fire extinguishers on the premises. But the organisers deliberately prefer to ignore the norms. I think there is a need for undertaking fire audit of all buildings and public places by the various regulatory bodies. We are currently working on such a scheme.
How well equipped in the Jharkhand Fire Service to deal with fire accidents?
We are prepared to face any emergency. Ranchi has four fire stations in different parts of the city. There are a total of 31 fire stations throughout the state. We are equipped with a hydraulic platform, purchased from Finland at a cost of Rs 5 crore, which can save people from a height of 42 metres or from 10- to 12-storeyed buildings. This apart, we have sufficient fire tenders and manpower. A large number of our men have been trained at the Nagpur Fire Service College in disaster management and on use of sophisticated equipment.
What problems do you face while attending to fire calls?
Congested localities, particularly the Upper Bazaar area poses the biggest challenge. People in such localities park their vehicles in such a way that it becomes really difficult for us to walk on these lanes. Many lanes are so narrow that our fire tenders cannot enter. When fire accidents occur, the biggest challenge is the gas cylinders that burst on heating. Residents need to know that when fire breaks out, gas cylinders should be disconnected and removed from the scene. We are planning to organise awareness campaigns in various areas to educate people, particularly schoolchildren.
What is your future plans?
We are setting up a local training centre at Dhurwa to train our personnel. Our men, who have already been exposed to advanced training in disaster management at the Fire Service College would train their fellow colleagues.