City ill-equipped to combat fire mishaps

Vijayawada: Two accidents in the gap of less than 40 days in the city in a corporate hospital and another in a corporate school once again underlined the need for a hydraulic platform in the city.

The District Disaster Response and Fire Services (DRFS) Department is badly need of hydraulic platform to combat the disasters in the multi-storeyed buildings.

Hydraulic platform is very useful to extinguish the fire in the high rise buildings up to G+7 floors as well as to save the property and lives of the people who were trapped in fire accidents.

The Krishna district fire services department submitted many representations to the government for sanction of hydraulic platform there is no response yet.

So far, more than 300 multi-storeyed buildings are there in and around the city. Star hotels, corporate hospitals and educational institutions are functioning in the multi-storeyed buildings up to G+5 floors.

Now, G+14 floor building is nearing completion at Bhavanipuram and be used for residential purposes. Another huge apartment with G+14 floors building is under construction on Pinnamaneni Polyclinic road.

Majority buildings in the city were built more than 15 years ago without proper fire safety norms. There is a possibility of fire accidents taking place in these buildings due to short circuit or other reasons.

Two fire accidents broke out in the city in the gap of 40 days. One accident took place in a corporate hospital and a corporate school due to two different reasons in January and February.

Fire broke out due to technical reasons in Senitini Hospital on January 3. Smoke engulfed the entire hospital and more than 50 patients were immediately shifted to other places.

Luckily, no one was seriously injured in the mishap. In the second accident, fire broke out at Ravindra Bharati School in Satyanarayanapuram on February 6 resulting in burning of books and furniture.

Luckily, the students and the staff escaped without injuries in the mishap. The mishap occurred when some students were doing experiments for the science expo scheduled for Tuesday.

These two incidents once again remind us that fire accidents can take place at any time and at any place. But, the government is neglecting the fire services department and not sanctioning important equipment like hydraulic platform to combat fire accidents that take place in the multi-storeyed buildings.

If any fire accident takes place in G+7 or G+14 floors buildings, the fire department employees have to depend on the age old system of ladders and stair case to save the valuable lives and property. This process is outdated and time consuming.

A senior officer of the fire services department said they had submitted many representations to the higher officials for sanction of hydraulic platform which is the need of the hour for the city to save the life of people property in case of disasters, but there is no response yet.