New Delhi, Nov. 3 -- The Delhi government has announced a comprehensive overhaul of the Delhi Fire Service (DFS), with plans to expand manpower, procure modern firefighting equipment, establish new fire stations and strengthen fire safety norms in existing buildings.
Delhi Home Minister Ashish Sood, on Tuesday, outlined the action plan following a review meeting chaired by Lieutenant Governor at Lok Niwas recently. The measures aim to address operational challenges, including narrow lanes, high population density, traffic congestion, electrical overloading and increasing fire risks from synthetic furnishings and plastic materials in residential buildings.
"The safety and protection of every Delhi resident is our highest priority. We are executing a complete, multi-departmental revamping of the Delhi Fire Service, upgrading our technology, expanding frontline manpower, and fixing infrastructure bottlenecks," Sood said.
As part of the plan, the Power Department will direct electricity distribution companies BRPL, BYPL and TPDDL to address electrical overloading by increasing sanctioned loads and upgrading network capacity. The government will also expedite recruitment of station officers and firemen in coordination with the Home Department, Services, UPSC and DSSSB. The sanctioned strength of DFS will be increased in accordance with the Ministry of Home Affairs report and ARD concurrence, while regular fitness assessments will be conducted for fire operators. To strengthen emergency response, the department will procure specialised firefighting equipment as per MHA norms through its memorandum of understanding with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation. Its emergency communication system will also be revamped.
The government plans to establish additional fire stations, with land to be allotted by the DDA and construction undertaken by the PWD.
Further, DFS rules will be amended to allow qualified private third-party auditors to conduct fire safety audits. The government is also considering making sprinkler systems and fire alarms mandatory in existing buildings, bringing them in line with standards applicable to new constructions.
Meanwhile, MCD, NDMC and DDA will be responsible for incorporating fire safety norms into building byelaws and taking action against unauthorised constructions and violations. DFS will also launch awareness campaigns across educational institutions, markets and RWAs.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.