The Times of India             24.09.2013  

Pune Municipal Corporation to buy helmets for firemen

PUNE: To make fire fighters in the city better equipped at work, the Pune Municipal Corporation's (PMC) standing committee on Monday approved the procurement of as many as 300 firefighting helmets. These helmets will not only be helpful during fire disasters, but will also come handy while dealing with calamities like a wall or a building collapse and during flood.

"They are firmer glass composite fire-fighting helmets. The cost of one helmet is around Rs 29,000. The civic body will spend around Rs 89 lakh," said Vishal Tambe, chairman of standing committee of the PMC, on Monday. He added that these helmets can handle fire involving chemicals in a more effective way and will protect firemen from smoke and heat.

The civic body has been taking important steps to improve the firefighting system. In March, the standing committee had approved a tender for buying 100 special fire suits worth Rs 1.70 crore for the fire brigade. Each suit costs around Rs 1.5 lakh. The civic body had sought financial aid of Rs 500 crore from the 13th Finance Commission and had sent an elaborate plan to the state government in 2011.

According to the plan, one of the priorities for the fire department was to increase the number of fire stations in the city from the existing 10 to at least 25. They wanted to cover the municipal area spread over 243 sq km. Each fire station would have to be well-equipped with fire fighting machinery and adequate staff strength, as stated in the plan. The fire brigade would also need over 300 breathing apparatus and fire entry suits. As per the plan, the fire brigade has sought 22 ambulances and other vehicles.

Meanwhile, the committee also gave its approval for buying CCTV cameras for the Cantonment Water Works and sanctioned the proposal to appoint a consultant for restoration and repair works in Shaniwarwada.