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Ludhiana: Amid staff shortage, firemen gear up for festive season
Farm fire cases are also expected to peak soon, says fire official. There are 86 sanctioned posts of firemen of which 28 are vacant. Ludhiana has 30 fire engines which need at least 150 firemen.
With 28 posts of firemen vacant, the local fire department has been facing shortage of staff. There are 86 sanctioned posts of firemen of which 58 are filled. Of them, 50 workers have been outsourced from the Punjab Ex-Servicemen Corporation (PESCO).
A single fire engine, according to the rules, requires a crew of six, including a driver and a lead fireman, according to assistant divisional fire officer Maninder Singh. Ludhiana has 30 fire engines, which would require at least 150 firemen. A senior fire official, requesting anonymity, said the last cadre review, an assessment as to how much manpower is required as per the population, was undertaken in 1986. “The city has grown so much ever since, but we still have the same sanctioned strength and that too isn’t fully occupied.”
Ludhiana at present has six fire stations — Central fire station opposite railway station, Haibowal, Gill Road, Sunder Nagar, Tajpur Road and Focal Point. Two more have been sanctioned in Jogiana industrial area and Dana Mandi, Bahadurke Road.
According ADFO Maninder Singh, six more temporary stations were set up at different spots for the Diwali season to ensure quick first response until the nearest station chipped in. This time around, the department is also anticipating double the load with paddy straw burning cases peaking around Diwali.
“This time Diwali is coming a little early, just about the time when paddy straw burning peaks. These are both very intensive events for us. And with the limited manpower, it may prove to be a hard job,” he said.
MC Assistant Commissioner (Zone B) Neeraj Jain, who is the official in charge of the fire services in the city, said, “We have sent our demand for recruitment to the higher-ups. We have not only asked for filling up the sanctioned posts, but also above that as per the improved strength of our tenders.”
