While the city is comparatively better placed than its neighbours Mohali and Panchkula in terms of the availability of fire equipment, staff and response time due to its compact, grid-based geography, it has its own set of problems.
Fire officials say that due to limited parking space, city’s markets and residential areas are cramped with haphazardly parked vehicles, which may stall response time even if the emergency vehicle manages to reach the spot on time.
This is a concern, especially during the festive season, when crowded markets, temporary stalls and firecracker sales increase the risk of a blaze.
To be sure, Chandigarh has seven fire stations, 550 personnel, a fleet of 30 immediate response vehicles, and two hydraulic platforms with a reach of around 110 ft stationed at Sector 17 and Manimajra for high-rise rescue operations, against a geographical area of 114 square kilometres.
“The department faces acute operational challenges in busy commercial areas, where vehicles are posed haphazardly,” revealed a senior MC official at the Sector-17 station, on the condition of anonymity.
“We saw that during the Sector 22 mobile market blaze in March when fire officials who reached the spot had to spend a considerable few minutes getting shoppers and traders to clear out their vehicles parked in front of the shop,” said the official.
{{/usCountry}}“We saw that during the Sector 22 mobile market blaze in March when fire officials who reached the spot had to spend a considerable few minutes getting shoppers and traders to clear out their vehicles parked in front of the shop,” said the official.
{{/usCountry}}He added that such a situation may also arise in case of mishap in residential areas, where in the absence of adequate parking space, people take to parking their vehicles along the footpaths and roadsides. “Clearing out these vehicles may pose an even greater challenge if such a mishap takes place at night,” said the official, adding that traffic and civic authorities must take steps to ensure that access routes are not blocked.
Last year’s response time during Diwali
Last year, the municipal corporation had deployed fire tenders at vulnerable locations, including Patel Market in Sector 15, Plaza in Sector 17, Sadar/Palika Bazaar in Sector 19, Shastri Market in Sector 22, Grain Market in Sector 26, Elante Mall and the main bazaar in Manimajra during the festive season. The average response time during last year’s Diwali period was reported to be around five to six minutes. The plan for this year is expected to be announced in the coming week.