Himachal to control fire incidents in an effective manner

To effectively mitigate and control fire incidents, elements like establishing strategic fire centres, sufficient availability of manpower, adequate funding, extensive fire research, awareness campaigns, ensuring proper coordination among various departments, etc, the State Government is making major improvements in the fire management strategy to ensure protection of life and property from unwanted damage or destruction due to an uncontrolled fire.

“We are endeavouring to strengthen the fire services in the State, so that prompt action could be taken at the time of any fire incident”, stated Chief Minister, Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.  Recently, 10 hi-tech fire tenders were flagged off equipped with foam-making machines, enabling them to tackle both ordinary fires and oil fires effectively. With the induction of these modern vehicles, the number of fire-fighting tenders in the State has now gone upto 230.

Apart from providing the best equipment to effectively fight fire incidents, the State Government has also decided to open three new Fire substations at Kaza in Lahaul-Spiti district, Killar in Chamba district and Nadaun in Hamirpur district. In addition to this, a new Fire Post is being opened at Deha in the Shimla district. These initiatives show the commitment of the State Government to ensuring the safety of its citizens.

Fire safety refers to planning and infrastructure design aimed at reducing the risk of fire or impeding the spread of a fire. To further boost the fire services across the State, the Government has allocated Rs. 1.60 crore for the purchase of additional and hi-tech fire equipment. In addition to this, an amount of Rs. 9.80 crore has been earmarked for the construction of office buildings and residential facilities for the fire stations, providing the personnel with modern amenities and to create a conducive work environment to keep the morale of the fire fighters high.