Fire tenders will be ready at 23 locations in Delhi a day before Diwali | Latest News Delhi

Delhi Fire Services (DFS) has set up firefighting vehicles at 23 locations across the city on Diwali eve (Wednesday) and Diwali (Thursday) to ensure fire incidents are handled quickly and no serious mishap occurs during the festivities, senior fire officials said. He said he planned. he said on Monday.

Apart from fire trucks (tenders), the fire department will also deploy motorcycle firefighters equipped with portable fire extinguishers, also known as “water mist backpacks”, at nine different locations for rapid firefighting action in crowded neighborhoods on Diwali night. It has narrow lanes that larger fire trucks cannot reach.

The above-mentioned officers said two wireless remote-controlled “mini robots” will also be pressed into service in emergencies, while seven quick response team (QRT) vans will be deployed at seven different locations in the city to combat fire accidents.

Delhi Fire Services (DFS) chief Atul Garg said the locations where fire trucks, motorcycles and QRT vehicles will be positioned from 5 pm to midnight on the eve of Diwali and Diwali have been identified as “vulnerable areas to fire incidents”, based on fire calls received. the fire control room on the previous year’s Diwali.

“An average of 60 calls come to the fire control room every day. But on the eve of Diwali and on Diwali, the number of calls increases at least three times because people decorate their homes with oil lamps, candles and decorative lights, which increases the power load and sometimes causes short circuits. Keeping our past experiences in mind, we decided to deploy our fire trucks, motorcycles equipped with portable fire extinguishers and QRTs in sensitive areas,” said Garg.

He added that the manpower and telephone lines in the control room will be increased for two days to ensure that no emergency call is missed.

According to DFS data, the fire control room received 208 emergency calls during last year’s Diwali, and this number will rise to 201 in 2022. In 2021, 152 such calls were made on Diwali. There were four deaths on Diwali in 2021, two in 2022 and one in 2023, but none of them were due to fire accident. While 10 people were injured in fires in 2023, 11 people were injured in similar incidents in 2022. According to DFS data, the number of people injured in fires during Diwali in 2021 was 1.

Apart from Tilak Nagar police station, the 23 places where fire trucks will be deployed on Diwali eve and Diwali this year include Lajpat Nagar Central market, Lal Kuan Chowk, Lahori Gate and Nangloi police stations, Southern Extension, Mehrauli police station, Ghitorni Metro station. , Rani Bagh and Gandhi Nagar markets, New Ashok Nagar and Alipur police stations, Yamuna Vihar and Mundka Metro station. Motorcycle firefighters will be deployed at Nehru Place, Bhikaji Cama Place, Rani Jhansi Road, Novelty Cinema, Roop Nagar, Laxmi Nagar, Geeta Colony, Jama Masjid and Sadar Bazar. Similarly, QRT minibuses will be deployed at Connaught Circus, Safdarjung, Shankar Road, Laxmi Nagar, Janakpuri, Jama Masjid Paiwalan and CBD Shahdara, DFS said.