Fighting fire with 'tied' hands

ALLAHABAD:With the onset of summer season, fire department personnel are on their toes even as fire fighting arrangements in a majority of commercial complexes as well as government offices are highly inadequate and any mishap can cause colossal loss to life and property. Fire department personnel meekly acknowledge that the arrangements are inadequate, but the fact that establishment owners, barring a few, have managed to take advantage of loopholes in law is a major cause of worry for them.
The mandatory installation of fire extinguishers and other fire fighting equipments is done by establishment owners, but several cases have been reported wherein these equipments failed to function at the time of need, claimed an officer at the fire department.
Besides, the connivance of fire department personnel in the entire exercise cannot be ruled out. After all, it is the prerogative of the department checking staff to given a clean chit or raise objections upon the quality and efficiency of fire fighting system being installed. According to rules, educational institutions, hospitals and nursing homes, guest houses and all major establishments are supposed to provide a water tank, water lifting pump and hose pipes in the buildings.
In addition, the mushrooming encroachments on roads and bylanes are another cause of worry for the fire department. "In the absence of cooperation from civic agencies, the problem assumes alarming proportions as these encroachments prove to be a major source of hindrance for movement of fire tenders,' said R Tiwari of the fire department. "Leave alone the entry of fire tenders, there are scores of lanes in the city where even a rickshaw trolley loaded with water drums cannot enter," he added.
The fact that the department itself is reeling under shortage of staff adds on to the work pressure and woes of the personnel. Presently, there are around 145 fire fighters in the district. These personnel have a tough time during peak summer season when there are several incidents of fire outbreaks in the district.
It was keeping the work load of the fire station in Allahabad in mind that the district police authorities decided to deploy one tender each in trans-Ganga and trans-Yamuna regions. This arrangement, however, was restricted for the peak fire season which ends with the onset of monsoon. Although requisitions for additional fire tenders have been placed with departmental seniors, a concrete result is yet to emerge, informed department sources.