Punekars irked as 101 fire calls diverted to other cities
According PMC fire department statistics, they receive over 30 fire calls during the summer season, which is higher than the usual 10 to 15 calls per day during other time of the year
As temperatures rise, there’s been a surge in fire-related incidents, keeping the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on its toes. However, the civic body is facing a challenge as calls are being diverted to fire stations in other cities.
When people dial 101 to report fire incidents, their calls are unintentionally routed elsewhere, and it is causing inconvenience for both callers and responders.
According PMC fire department statistics, they receive over 30 fire calls during the summer season, which is higher than the usual 10 to 15 calls per day during other time of the year.
The busiest time for calls is typically in the afternoon and evening, said officials.
Two weeks back, one of the residents of Kondhwa tried to call the city fire incident, but the call got connected to Nagpur instead of Pune fire control room.
When asked by Ramesh Gangad, assistant divisional officer, PMC fire department, about such incidents, he said, “This is an issue. We receive information of fire incidents in the city from Pimpri-chinchwad, Nagpur, Ahemednagar, Nashik and Kolhapur fire departments.”
“We face problems with almost all mobile companies. We have also written letters and conveyed the problem to them,” he said.
Nandkishor Indani, a radio technician at the Pune fire department, explained, “It’s a technical issue and mobile companies need to fix it. Sometimes, Pune police also inform us about fire incidents because people dial 100 when their calls get redirected to other cities.”
“Other cities are too facing the same issue. We also receive the similar calls from other cities,” he said.
“Even though it’s a common number for reporting fire incidents across the state, it should connect to the concerned city when a person calls,” he added.
Currently, Pune has 20 fire stations spread across the city, with plans for five more to be built in different areas. The fire department needs a total of 484 staff, but currently, there are only 347 members on board.
The standing fire advisory council, established by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, has set norms for fire services based on response time, risk, and population density.
In urban areas, there should be one fire station for every 10 square kilometers, with a maximum response time of 5 minutes.
In rural areas, it’s one station per 50 square kilometers, with a response time of 20 minutes. However, Pune’s response time varies due to traffic, although most of the time, the fire brigade arrives within five minutes.
Recently, the PMC announced plans to set up five new fire stations in strategic locations like Baner, Kharadi, Bavdhan, Mohammadwadi, and Dhayari, to cover the expanding city boundaries and include previously unincorporated areas.
Additionally, PMC aims to boost fire fighting capabilities by acquiring two high-rise fire fighting and rescue vehicles with 24-meter-tall ladders. They also plan to recruit 200 new firefighters to strengthen the workforce.
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