Indian Express 19.10.2010
Civic body’s fire mitigation plan soon
Ajay Khape Tags : Pune Municipal Corporation, PMC, civic body Posted: Tue Oct 19 2010, 06:25 hrs
For over 35 lakh people residing in 250 sq km area of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), there are only 10 fire stations in the jurisdiction of the civic body, far behind the set norms of one fire station for 10 sq km. This has forced the civic body to take initiative to prepare fire mitigation plan to tackle any fire incident.
“There are directions from the state government for a detailed plan on fire safety norms. So we have undertaken preparation of fire hazard response and mitigation plan for the city,” said Prashant Ranpise, PMC chief fire officer.
At present, the PMC has 10 fire stations, 433 staff and 22 fire vans. “The fire safety guidelines say that a fire station per 10 sq km or per lakh population is neccessary to ensure immediate help to those in need,” he said, adding, the PMC is nowhere near to meet the norms.
The plan to be prepared by private agency will carry out detailed study of the city population density and geographical conditions. “There will be maps with population density of the area and roads reaching there. Therefore, it would be easier to make area wise plans,” he said, adding that it will identify areas with slum, high-rise buildings, industrial and commercial area for extra measures for the area.
There should be at least 35 fire stations along with additional fire safety vans and manpower, Ranpise said. “The PMC has decided to take steps in achieving the norms and will add three fire stations every year. The fire safety vans and staff will be added simultaneously.”
The process of identifying land for the purpose has started with special focus on amenity spaces available across the city. The problem is that the guidelines specifically mention that the fire station should not be close to schools, hospitals and any congested area.
Activist Vihar Durve said the PMC should have initiated measures to expand its fire services long back, but it has realised their shortcomings now. “The fire services are insufficient compared to the guidelines set by the government and it leads to delay in response time that results in loss of human and property loss,” he said.
