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Smart City Mission: 10 new vehicles added to Ludhiana fire department’s fleet
With this, the number of fire tenders in Ludhiana has gone up to 27. The new vehicles have been purchased at a cost of ₹6 crore. Officials said the vehicles have been delivered and process is on to register these with the transport department.
In a major boost to the Ludhiana fire brigade, 10 fire tenders, including water bowsers (tankers) and an advanced rescue tender, have been added to the fleet under the Smart City Mission.
With this, the number of fire tenders in the state’s industrial hub has gone up to 27. The new vehicles have been purchased at a cost of ₹6 crore. Officials said the vehicles have been delivered and process is on to register these with the transport department.
Advanced features
The new vehicles include three water bowsers with a capacity of 12,000 litres each, three big tenders with capacity of 4,500 litres and three small tenders of 2,500 litres. Officials said water bowsers are useful when there are no refill stations nearby.
The vehicles have high-pressure extinguishers and are equipped with roof-mounted tower lights to facilitate firefighting during night hours. The height of the roof-mounted light can be increased up to 4.5 metres.
The advanced rescue tender is equipped with a generator set, hammers, cutters etc to deal with emergency situations. The cutters and hammers will be useful in bringing down boundary walls of buildings if required.
A firefighter, on the condition of anonymity, said, some of the old fire tenders available with the department need to be scrapped as they snag from time to time. The new vehicles will be helpful for the department as these have advanced features, he added.
Municipal corporation’s zonal commissioner Neeraj Jain said the vehicles have been handed over to the fire brigade and will be pressed into service soon after the departmental formalities are completed.
Last year, modern firefighting equipment, including thermal imaging cameras, life detectors, inflatable lighting towers, battery-operated cobi tools (cutters), aluminium fire safety suits among other items were also provided to the fire brigade under smart city mission.
Staff shortage still a handicap:
An MC official, requesting anonymity, said though new vehicles have been provided to the fire brigade, staff shortage remains a concern. “The fire brigade is already facing staff shortage. Who will operate the new fire tenders,” asked the official. Ludhiana has five fire stations in different parts of the city. During Diwali, temporary stations are set up at multiple points.
