Ahmedabad's fire department on high alert for Diwali

To safeguard city-dwellers during Diwali, Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services (AFES) will remain on their toes. To respond quickly to any festivity-related accident during Diwali, AFES has cancelled leaves of all their employees.

According to AFES officials, a majority of the accidents can be avoided by increased alertness of elder family members. "Self discipline is necessary, as a majority of the incidents take place when children are not kept in check. Elders must watch the kids' actions during Diwali," said Rajesh Bhatt, additional chief fire officer.

To control fire accidents in the walled city, AFES has already installed a special fire extinguisher at their Dana Pith station. "It is called a water-mist extinguisher, and can be taken to narrow lanes on a trolley. It can work independently for almost half an hour and can play a crucial role in places where big fire vehicles cannot reach," said Bhatt.

He also added that a portable line system inside the walled city would be useful in case of accidents.

"Even if our water tankers cannot enter narrow lanes, we can control the fire through the line system," assured Bhatt.