By Proshun Chakraborty
The Times of India
NAGPUR, India — How safe does a Nagpurian feel in case there’s a fire? Unsafe. Consider this: For Nagpur’s 30 lakh population, there are only 149 fire brigade personnel — or one fireman for every 20,134 people! So there’s a reason for people to feel unsafe.
There has been no increase in the strength of fire personnel since the department was set up in the 1980s.
In fact, the Mantralaya blaze has again highlighted the need for adequate fire services in an emerging metro like Nagpur where high-rises are dotting the cityscape.
Sources said, when the fire department came into existence, 193 firemen were attached to five fire stations. Over the years, the city spread has grown wider and bigger and the number of fire stations has gone up to eight, but there has been no corresponding rise in the number of fire personnel.
NMC has eight fire stations at Civil Lines, Sugat Nagar, Kalamna, Lakadganj, Sakkardara, Narendra Nagar, Ganjipeth and Cotton Market that are manned by only 149 firemen. “Though the department has a sanctioned staff strength of 411 personnel, about 135 posts are vacant for the last many years. Even important posts like station officers, assistant station officers and senior lead firemen are vacant since long,” sources said.
On several occasions, the department sent a report to the civic chief to increase manpower, but in vain, claimed former chief fire officer Chandrashekhar Jadhav.
In fact, despite the staff crunch, NMC uses firemen to deliver officials letters at the houses of corporators and other office bearers.
In 2010, Jadhav had prepared a detailed report for adding manpower to the department. The report mentioned that the city required at least 14 more fire stations against the present eight. In west and south Nagpur there is only fire station i.e. Civil Lines. A total of 149 firemen perform the task meant for at least 900 personnel as per recommendations of the Standard Fire Advisory Committee (SFAC) norms, pointed out Jadhav.
Jadhav’s report stated that given the present population, the city should have at least 22 fire stations, each with a minimum staff strength 40, including 16 firemen. “In any given shift, there should be one driver, one leading fireman, one fire officer and at least four firemen,” the report stated. But at present, the department had to send staff from two fire stations to attend any major call.
Jadhav told TOI that fire services in Nagpur city are inadequate. According to him, the present strength is not even adequate even for 1/3rd of Nagpur existing population. Even drivers’ posts are insufficient. Against the 57 sanctioned posts, 33 are vacant. Besides, NMC’s fire department also attends emergency calls in outside corporation limits.
Endorsing Jadhav’s views, director of National Institute of Fire Disaster and Environment Management Nilesh Urkunde termed the sanctioned strength of firemen disproportionate. He said that with the present manpower the NMC can practically run only two fire stations.
“The existing limitation of manpower and infrastructure restricts the fire department to only three major responses at a time. With the available equipment, the fire services can reach only up to a height of 15 metres. All but around 2,000 residential and commercial buildings are above 15 metre high and thus could prove to be difficult to effectively perform rescue operations in case of fire,” added Jadhav.
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