Jaipur: Back to back fire mishaps in a week have exposed glaring chinks in the preparedness of the fire wing of Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC).
While the population and the number of high-rise buildings have increased in the city, the fire department has failed to keep pace with Pink City's development. The skeletal JMC fire wing is hamstrung by lack of modern equipment and shortage of funds.
The state government's delay in providing funds to upgrade and purchase equipment for the fire department has put lives of thousands of people at risk.
This in turn has prevented the JMC from strengthening its fire department. At present, there are 11 fire stations, with 50 fire tenders in the state capital. However, with the city is expanding and population increasing, the existing infrastructure is not sufficient to cater to the city's requirements.
"As per the National Building Code of India (NBCI), one fire tender is required for a population of 40,000. So, there's a minimum requirement of 30 fire tenders. The city also should have at least 15 fire stations," a fire department official said.
The number of fire fighters too is far less than required. Considering the population, there is an urgent need of 500 firefighters. The JMC, however, is struggling to tackle fire mishaps with 250 firemen, including 50 women.
According to sources, the department should have at least 750 members. During Saturday's fire at Vidhyadhar Nagar, there was a slight delay in extending help to the victims due to the shortage of staff.
"One fire tender requires five firefighters, including the driver. However, due to shortage of staff only three could rush to the spot. In a panic situation, it was difficult for one man to open and lift the 80kg ladder and fix the heavy nozzle," said a fire department official.
A large majority of people in the city live in narrow lanes and high-rises. The fire department, however, has few vehicles and equipment that can reach such places in case of fire.
Though the directorate of local bodies (DLB) has approved the purchase four snorkel ladders and a 70-metre hydraulic ladder that can help firefighters reach up to 25 floors in an emergency, they have not been procured so far.
"City approves building plans that are 65 metres high. So, the fire wing should have fire tenders that can reach up to a height of 70 metres. At present, the fire department has only one snorkel ladder which can douse fire up to a height of 44 metres," the source said.
Jaipur, which is a popular Tier 2 city, also does not have rescue tenders, used for cutting material, or a turntable ladder (TTL), used for dousing flames from aerial angles without entering the building.
