Fire department prepares for Diwali

Despite the Haryana government allowing a two-hour window period for the sale and burning of firecrackers, the Gurugram fire department said it will continue to

Despite the Haryana government allowing a two-hour window period for the sale and burning of firecrackers, the Gurugram fire department said it will continue to be on high alert this Diwali like all other previous years. On Sunday evening, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar had allowed the bursting and sale of firecrackers for two hours on the day of Diwali.

The fire department said it has cancelled all leaves of firemen till November 16 and directed them to work on a 12-hour shift instead of the usual eight-hour shift to ensure the maximum presence of staff for any possible fire mishaps.

“Leaves of all 200 firemen have been cancelled till next Monday. In addition, nearly 200 firemen will be working on Diwali in two batches of 12-hour shifts. The staff usually works in three eight-hour shifts. However, realising that the chances of fire incidents are the highest on Diwali, we wanted the maximum manpower available. Hence the staff have been directed to work for an additional four hours,” said Satyawan Samriwal, assistant divisional fire officer (ADFO).

At least 20 fire incidents were reported across the city on October 27, Diwali last year. However, no injuries were reported.In 2018, 28 incidents of fire were reported, which resulted in at least six people suffering burn injuries on Diwali, November 7. In 2017, 13 incidents of fire were reported on Diwali, October 19, although no injuries where reported.

“Although there is only a two-hour window for bursting of firecrackers this year, there remains a possibility that people may have purchased firecrackers in bulk beforehand or have stock from previous years. They may even have purchased them illegally. In addition, fires from diyas (lamps) is also a common occurrence during Diwali. Hence, we are undertaking all possible measures as usual,” said Samriwal.

On Friday, the Haryana government had banned the sale of all firecrackers in the state, citing high levels of air pollution and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Later, on Saturday, the government had allowed use of firecrackers for two hours In both 2019 and 2018, sale and bursting of only green firecrackers were allowed in Gurugram.

Samriwal further said that all 25 fire tenders and seven fire bikes would be strategically placed across the city on Diwali to ensure that the response time in the event of a fire is minimal.“In areas such as Sadar Bazaar, where the streets are narrow, the time taken for fire tenders to reach the spot is usually higher. Hence, we will position at least two fire bikes there along with two more fire tenders to ensure that the response time is kept to a minimum. We are working on finalising more such areas across the city, where tenders and fire bikes need to be strategically located,” said Samriwal.

Samriwal further said that he, along with fire department officials, visited warehouses in Chandu Budhera, Farrukhnagar, and Sultanpur Road on Sunday to check if sale or purchase of firecrackers were being conducted illegally. However, the fire department did not find any such violations.