Gurgaon: Ill-equipped fire dept awaits Diwali with crossed fingers

Fire department personnel said they urgently require hydraulic platforms higher than 50 metres – the height of more than 1,000 high-rise buildings in the city.

It is that time of the year when people’s fancy turns towards crackers and fireworks. But the fire department is ill-equipped to deal with any fire emergency that might arise around the time of Diwali.

The force is hamstrung by the lack of upgraded equipment – including longer hydraulic platforms to handle blazes in high-rises. The proposal to procure one is still awaiting approval.

The force is hamstrung by the lack of upgraded equipment – including longer hydraulic platforms to handle blazes in high-rises. The proposal to procure one is still awaiting approval.

Fire department personnel said they urgently require hydraulic platforms higher than 50 metres – the height of more than 1,000 high-rise buildings in the city.

The Haryana Fire and Emergency Services officials revealed that they have 14 hydraulic platforms that measure 42 metres high. These can roughly allow a firefighter reach up to the 14th floor of a building.

Fire department officials said that they continue to function ‘with the available resources’ as they await approval for a 104m hydraulic platform from the Directorate of Supplies and Disposal (Haryana), a request that has been on paper for nearly a decade.

Kashyap disclosed that even if the Directorate of Supplies and Disposal (Haryana) approves the Gurgaon fire department’s request on Monday, a 104 m hydraulic ladder needs more than six months to be manufactured.

Fire department officials added that in the event of a fire in a building more than 42 metres high, they seek the assistance from the private fire departments of the DLF which has two hydraulic platforms measuring above 90 metres.

Last year, eight incidents of fire took place in Gurgaon and no harm to human life was reported. As the fire incidents were minor, the limited nature of fire combat services of the fire department was not exposed. This year, residents will have to hope and keep their gingers crossed that there is no major fire incident in the city.