The Telangana Disaster Response and Fire Safety department is working to acquire skylifts which can reach up to 104 metres, or beyond the 18th floor of buildings. The department currently has a skylift which can reach 54 metres, or 18 floors. The department director G.V. Narayana Rao said they were depending on grants to procure these skylifts. He said the acquisition would take nearly one and a half years.
“There is a long process involved. We would first have to get the grants, receive the money and call for tenders, Rao said. The selection would be based on the efficiency of the machinery. The department is also planning to procure modernised equipment like advanced water tenders, articulated firefighting towers, and an advanced rescue tender. “Apart from that, we are also going to procure search and rescue tools, rescue tools for building collapse, water rescue, and building collapse,” the director said.
He noted that the government had sanctioned a state disaster response force, with around 1,000 people from the police battalions. Rao said the department’s aim was to reach the spot within five minutes of a mishap. “The timing is recorded in all of our fire stations. We have proposed for more fire stations in the city,” he said.
Speaking of new fire extinguishers in the marked, including those shaped like cricket balls which can be thrown into the blaze, Rao said, “There are many equipment coming in the market, however, we do not certify all of them. If an equipment is introduced, it should adhere with the National Building Code.”
Speaking of fire safety awareness among school students, the director said, “We do conduct awareness programmes very frequently in schools, and kids even feel excited while seeing fire safety equipment. Can not talk of the efficiency but we have made sure to make available products that can be used by school students too, based on variations in size.”
