Mysuru: SW Railways creates awareness on train fires

Mysuru: Fire incidences in trains could spell disastrous for passengers and the property of Indian Railways. Stressing the need for preventive measures Manjunath Kanamadi, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager and Senior PRO, said "A train fire is different from a fire in other places the way it breaks out, grows and spreads, and in the method of fighting it, as well as the damages it ultimately causes."

"Fire on a running train is more dangerous than that of a static one because the fanning effect could spread the fire fairly quickly to other

coaches, and in panic, the passengers might jump out of the speeding train as it happened in the past accidents. Fire, especially in an uncontrolled state, is a source of very rapid destruction, and this gets compounded when loss of human life is involved. Hence, taking all possible steps to prevent a fire from breaking out in coaches, and if it breaks out, to prevent it from spreading and causing further damage are being given great importance," he said.

Special drives organised onboard two express trains on the Mysuru-Mandya Section were inspected by the multi-departmental team, comprising senior officers of Safety, Security, Mechanical, and Commercial branches of SWR, Mysuru Division on Friday. Driving home the point that awareness was the key to dealing with train fires, the team held demonstration sessions at 15 locations about the importance of the Emergency Windows in passenger-carrying trains.

A cross-section of passengers, numbering nearly a thousand, were explained the sequence in which the Emergency Windows open as mentioned in the pictorial notices provided in the compartments.

On close observation, it emerged that a vast majority of the passengers were unaware or had real difficulty understanding the technique of opening the Emergency Windows.

The inspecting officials felt that a more focused approach was the need of the hour in this area, involving the onboard train crew. The passengers had a visual demonstration about the use of fire extinguishers provided at both ends of the passenger compartments near the vestibules. About 20 passengers - students, women, and senior citizens were part of the group actively participating in operating the fire extinguishers in exigencies. The team appreciated the enthusiasm of the passengers in learning this task.

Rahul Agarwal, Divisional Railway Manager, South Western Railway, Mysuru Division, called upon the rail passengers to cooperate with the railways in preventing fire mishaps.