Besides fire disasters, firefighters find themselves battling years of negligence
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Firefighters during a mock drill at the DDSC stadium in Dimapur on Thursday.[/caption]
Eastern Mirror Desk
Dimapur, April 18: Despite fire incidents accounting for some of the worst disasters in the state over the years, fire personnel and the departments continue to be one of the most overlooked. They are simply taken for granted, 24x7.
In Dimapur alone this year (barely four months), the Fire department has attended to 14 fire calls that claimed two precious lives and property worth lakhs destroyed.
According to information provided by the Dimapur Fire station, the year 2014 recorded 92 fire incidents in the commercial hub. In the following three years—2015, 2016 and 2017—the number of incidents registered ranged between 40 to 46. The year 2018 had the lowest number of entry with 39 fire calls received.
To create awareness and to impart safety to the citizens as directed by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, the Fire department in Dimapur organised a fire mock drill at the Dimapur District Sports Complex (DDSC) on Thursday.
Since 1999, ‘Fire Safety Week' is observed from April 14 till the 20th to propagate fire safety messages among the citizens.
The mock drill was held in collaboration with the Dimapur district administration. Representatives from various government offices and institutions took part during the drill where firefighters demonstrated various fire safety tips.
The officer-in-charge of Dimapur Fire station, A Wati Jamir requested the citizens to cooperate with the firefighters and advised them not to panic while providing the location of incident as 'wrong information about location leads to more dangers.’
Jamir said that even with right information, because of traffic, narrow roads, etc., the fire trucks take time to reach the location. He also advised the citizens to place fire extinguishers and build emergency exits while constructing buildings.
During the drill, the firefighters demonstrated various safety measures. The department over the past few years have been visiting schools, various localities and institutions to spread fire safety awareness.
The fire station at Police colony with just five fire trucks is the only one in town. Interestingly, fire accidents that occur during the dry season are mostly attributed to “short circuit.”
However, the officer-in-charge said that while many are caused by “short circuit”, many are not. He sympathised with the Power department while suggesting that if “short circuit were a human” he/she would “feel bad” for getting the blame every time.
Various guidelines/safety tips
Electrical problems should be checked regularly
Cooking gas should be switched off when not in use
Candles, kerosene, should be carefully used especially in thatch houses
Do not play with matches or fire
In case of fire, run outside as saving a life is more important than saving belongings
If your clothes are on fire: Stop, Drop, and Roll until the fire is out
Do not leave a fireplace deserted if it is windy
Do not dry meat over fire when nobody is at home
Before you sleep, make sure your fireplace is doused off
Fire call: 03862-232201/07085378850
