Thane civic body ill-equipped to fight fire in high-rises

The fire department in the city does not have the 90-metre Bronto Skylift, which is essential to douse fires in high-rises

Even as the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) has eased the cap on building height and paved way for more high-rises in the city, it has not done enough for their safety.

The proposal for the skylift was given by the fire brigade two years ago. But, the administration has not yet bought the equipment. (Praful Gangurde)

On Sunday, a fire broke out on the 28th floor of a plush residential building, Basilius, at Hiranandani Estate. The residents themselves used the firefighting system of the building and doused the fire. The bedroom was completely gutted but the timely action prevented the fire from spreading.

The incident brought to the fore the need for an efficient firefighting equipment to douse fire in high-rises.

The fire department in the city does not have the 90-metre Bronto Skylift, which is essential to douse fires in high-rises. The firefighters have to climb stairs up to 30 floors or more to douse fires in high-rises, increasing the response time and reducing the efficiency in dousing the fire.

The proposal for the skylift was given by the fire brigade two years ago. But, the administration has not yet bought the equipment.

An official from the fire department said, “We only have a small 50m turntable ladder, which is useless in case of a fire in high-rise. Climbing the stairs leads to delay in the response and rescue operation. The proposal for the skylift was approved two years ago and a budget of Rs30 crore was also allotted. However, the administration has not taken any steps to buy the lift despite the availability of funds.”

Two incidents of fire in high-rises were reported in the city this year.

In January, a fire broke out in the 26-storey Giriraj Heights at Hari Niwas. Around 150 residents had to be rescued. During the rescue operation, firefighters had to climb the 26 floors several times.

An official from the workshop department of the TMC said, “The tenders for the lift were floated last year. But, we were unsure what model of the equipment should be purchased. For this, a committee under the additional commissioner, chief accounts and finance officer, deputy commissioner, headquarters, and chief fire officer was formed. The committee was supposed to study the type of lift bought by the Mumbai fire department and based on the requirement in Thane, give a report.”

The officer claimed that the committee has recently submitted its report, which would be studied and based on it, tenders would be floated. “We will try to purchase the Skylift in this financial year,” he added.