WB firefighters crib about infrastructure

The Fire Services department was not equipped to handle two large simultaneous fire incidents in the city if these were to happen on high-rise buildings.

In response, the department would like to make employment of one fire service manager in all public buildings above certain height mandatory. Pratim Chatterjee, minister in charge of the fire and emergency services department, admitted the city's fire service department not well equipped and did not have enough firefighting equipment to handle two large fire incidents in the city if they were at high-rise buildings.

"With the number of high rise buildings in the city increasing at a fast pace, the potential of risk was also increasing as the department does not have enough resources to handle fire in more than one at a time," he confessed. Equipment used in developed countries were not in use here.

Helicopters used in developing countries to extinguish fire but costs were prohibitive and the Indian climate was not suitable for such equipment, he claimed.

Chatterjee said high hydraulic ladders were one solution for skyscrapers but these were costly too.

Each ladder cost Rs 4 crore and it was beyond the department's capacity to more than perhaps one ladder.

The minister said recruiting staff from the new technical institute of the West Bengal Fire Service for buildings higher than five storeys should be made mandatory. The minister said the new Building Act being proposed would incorporate strict measures for fire safety.

Despite physical existence of equipment in high rise buildings and fire safety arrangements, most equipment failed in case of fire.

"This is mainly because of lack of training. Most of the building management people do not know how to handle these equipment hence compulsory training was the need of the hour to save property and lives," he explained.