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Fire Safety Week: Ludhiana’s central fire station hosts sessions, rally
Mock drills were also organised in different industrial units and major hospitals to raise awareness among the residents
In a bid to create awareness among residents regarding the fire safety norms, Central Fire Station organised a week-long campaign to mark Fire Safety Week from April 14 to 20, a rally was carried out in the city marking the concluding day on Thursday.
Throughout the week, the fire station officials conducted awareness sessions at public places, including malls and education institutes to guide the residents about guidelines for fire safety, and important measures in case of a fire emergency.
Mock drills were also organised in different industrial units and major hospitals to raise awareness among the residents. The staff here was apprised about the steps which can be taken in case any fire incident is reported in their respective buildings.
During the awareness rally, the firefighters moved around different parts of the city in the fire tenders for raising awareness among the residents. The rally moved through Jalandhar Bypass, Samrala Chowk, Sherpur Chowk, Dholewal Chowk, and Gill road among other areas.
Fire station officer (FSO) Maninder Singh stated that all sub-stations—Gill road, Sunder Nagar, Haibowal and Focal point—participated in the drive. He said that residents should apply for no-objection certificates from fire department and make sure to put in place the required fire safety measures at their properties.
Fake calls keep alarms ringing for officials
Bogus calls on the fire brigade helpline number which caters to a population of around 40 lakhs, remains to be a major problem for fire officials as it distracts them from genuine calls and makes the helpline unavailable for genuine incidents of fire which need a quick response.
Firefighters claim that they receive over 30 calls each hour out of which 95 percent turn out to be residents either faking an emergency or dialing by mistake. Sub-fire officer Navrang Singh said the fire station is already facing a crunch of staff with long duty hours. The fake calls do not stop even at night, affecting the emergency service.
He added that for fire officials each call is important, sometimes residents get nervous in case of an emergency but maintaining patience is part of our job. He added that along with fire helpline 101 and the official number of the fire station, residents can also connect to the police control room in case of emergency.
