If a fire breaks out in a building higher than 42 metres, the department is dependent on DLF, whose private fire station has two hydraulic platforms that reach 90 metres. (Express photo by Manoj Kumar)
With just one hydraulic platform in its entire fleet in Gurgaon, and that too only capable of reaching a height of 42 metres, the Haryana Fire Department is ill-equipped to combat any fire that breaks out in a building higher than 14 floors in the city.
The tallest building in Gurgaon, Paras Quartier, stands at 175 metres, with hundreds of others — both offices and residential apartments — not far behind.
According to fire department records, there are 1,169 high-rises in Gurgaon, defined as buildings that stand at a height of 15 metres or above. Officials estimate that at least 500 of these have a height of 50 metres or more.
The Haryana fire department has five stations in the district, with a fleet of 23 fire tenders, and 47 permanent and 132 contractual employees. The number of hydraulic platforms, however, is down to just one this year.
“We had another platform that could reach 42 metres, but it was sent to Panchkula earlier this year following government orders,” said fire services officer (FSO) I S Kashyap. In such a situation, if a fire breaks out at a building higher than 42 metres, the department is dependent on a relationship of “mutual assistance” with DLF, whose private fire station has two hydraulic platforms that can reach 90 metres. “We have requested for a hydraulic platform of 100 metres at the state-level, and the matter is under process,” the FSO said.
Sources, however, said this request has been “under process” for “at least five years”. The only progress, sources said, was a request made last year by the state to refurbish details of the required platform.
“Such equipment has to be manufactured and imported from places such as Japan, and will take at least six months to reach us even after the request is approved,” a source said.
In 2005, a fire had broken out on the eighth floor of the Cyber Greens complex in Sector 25A. At the time, Gurgaon had only one extension ladder that could reach 30 feet. Seven fire tenders had to be summoned from Delhi, along with a hydraulic platform, to control the blaze alongside five tenders from Gurgaon.
Fire department officials, however, are confident they can “manage” any incident. “The highest fire tender in the world also has a height of only 112 metres… Our own equipment, put together with what DLF is willing to supply, ensures we can tackle any blaze effectively for now,” Kashyap said.
Although the fire department said it does not have annual figures on the total number of fires in the district, records related to incidents of fire in “commercial establishments” indicate that figures have remained steady through the last three years. While 158 instances of fire at commercial establishments were recorded in 2015, 143 were recorded in 2016, and 156 in 2017.