In rush to save lives, firefighters are exposed to Covid; 7 positive so far

The already short-staffed Delhi Fire Services is now facing the daunting task of managing an increased number of fire-related calls with several of its personnel benched.

On June 3, a 32-year-old personnel of the Delhi Fire Services (DFS), stationed at the Shankar Road fire station, tested positive for the infectious coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

Officials say in rescue missions, a firefighter cannot keep a distance from those in distress. They also said authorities usually don’t tell them if the spot is a Covid hot spot or not. (PTI File Photo)

Over the next 48 hours, the fire station, located amid popular and busy markets, offices and residential areas, was cordoned off. But despite the risk, all personnel were asked to continue their duties.

Till Monday, at least seven from the DFS had tested positive for the virus infection. Cases were reported from stations on Shankar Road, in Naraina, Paschim Vihar, the Fire Safety Management Academy in Rohini, and from the control room in Connaught Place.

But unlike other government departments and emergency services, where if an employee is tested positive, large-scale contact tracing is carried out to isolate those at risk of infection before the building itself is shut, the fire department is only able to do the bare minimum to prevent the spread of the virus within its teams.

The already short-staffed DFS is now facing the daunting task of managing an increased number of fire-related calls with several of its personnel benched.

Officials said that along with the necessity of having to maintain close proximity with victims during rescue operations and the inability to wear personal protective equipment (PPE), they are attending to calls blindly with no information as to how many Covid-19 cases were reported from the fire spots. This, officials said, was putting them in danger of contracting the infection.

Fire chief Atul Garg said even though it was inevitable that the infection would hit the fire department, unlike the Delhi Police or any other government agency, the fire services cannot afford to take any more personnel off active duty. The 2,700-strong department attends to nearly 40,000 to 50,000 calls a year, translating to nearly 120 calls daily. This number, however, increases to 200-250 a day during summer.

“The number of Covid-19 infections has surged so much that we treat every call with caution. We are majorly short-staffed but we cannot ignore calls from containment zones. But we are facing a huge risk,” Garg said.

Sukhi Ram, a fireman at the Narela fire station, said even though personnel are equipped with their uniform of overalls, gumboots and breathing apparatus while dousing a blaze, they are forced to touch unknown objects with their hands during cooling operations.

“It is difficult to know who is infected because many could be asymptomatic. We go in blind with no information on whether the occupants of a burning structure are patients or carriers. Who will ensure our safety?” he said.

On May 23, a fire at a Covid-19 hospital in South Delhi was attended by the DFS and it wasn’t until they reached the hospital that they were told that there were at least five Covid-19 patients in the building, who had to be evacuated. Of those in the building, three were critical and on oxygen support and had to be carried out by the rescuers.

Senior fire officials said the chances of a fire personnel catching the disease are high not only because of the nature of their job and the number of calls they attend, but also because of the close proximity in which they have to operate with their team mates.

Of all cases that have been detected within the department till now, the source of the infection is unclear and that worries them. “We have to work for 24 hours and then we are off duty for the next 24 hours. During our duty, we stay with our team members in a hostel-like set-up where beds are closely lined together and there is barely any scope for social distancing,” an official said, on condition of anonymity.

The official said many DFS officials travel to and from neighbouring states, covering long distances. Exposure during travel has also become a concern.

Citing the example of Mumbai, where at least 60 firefighters have already been infected, former Delhi fire chief SK Dheri said the period of duty can be increased for fire officials so that any symptoms that appear can be tracked.

“At present, the duty schedule is 24 hours of duty and 24 hours off, but if we allow four or five days of duty and the next four or five days off, then they can assess the symptoms and use the leave period to quarantine themselves. While staying at the station, officials will also have to ensure ample distance among themselves. Meanwhile, since this infection does not look like it is going anywhere at least for some time, the administration can expedite the recruitment process of the DFS, which is so short of hands that it cannot afford to lose people,” Dheri said.

The officials said with more and more pockets of the city being marked as containment zones, they are treating each call with extreme care. They are also sanitising their buildings and equipment themselves.

Accepting the increased risk faced by emergency teams, a senior government official said the city is struggling with poor data management of the daily tally of Covid19 cases and the death toll from each area. This means that any information passed on to the DFS would be useless by the time it reached them. “We get data from hospitals and labs after a delay of one or two days. At least we manage to release the daily bulletin with updated figures,” the official said.