PATNA: The Bihar Fire Service (BFS) has conducted more than 6,600 mock drills across the state in the last almost two years to create awareness among people about fire safety.
The BFS, with these mock drills, aims to create grassroots level awareness among people in the state to tackle disasters arising out of fire. Prior to 2016, neither any mock drill was conducted by BFS nor any record was available.
According to BFS's data, 3,096 fire safety mock drills were conducted in 2016 across the state, with the maximum 522 drills conducted in April, just before the onset of summer.
This year, the figures went up to 3,565 till October. Maximum 560 mock drills were conducted in April this year. BFS sources said they would conduct around 4,500 mock drills till 2017 end.
Khagaria's BFS personnel conducted only eight drills till October this year against 34 last year.
In addition to all these mock drills, a three-day special drive was taken up by BFS in November and drills were conducted by 49 fire stations at 102 different government and private schools.
The students were imparted training in dousing fire caught in an LPG cylinder just with a piece of wet cloth. However, 58 fire stations failed to conduct any such drill for students during the drive.
One of the BFS officials, on the condition of anonymity, said, "Bihar still lags behind other states in taking clearance certificate from the fire department for buildings." He said except a few major installations, private houses or multistorey building owners, fire safety is hardly kept in mind by others while constructing a house or a complex.
DG (BFS) P N Rai said draft rules of fire safety have been sent to the state government for its approval. "Mock drills will continue for creating awareness as people take fire safety measures for granted," he said.
However, 3,489 out of the 4,620 sanctioned posts from the rank of state fire officer to fire fighters are lying vacant in BFS. The vacancy is almost 75% of its sanctioned strength.
