We are exploring use of drones to fight fires: Chief fire officer

The number of fire incidents has increased recently. The number of causalities too has increased where along with citizens, firemen also got injured. What is the reason?
There are several factors responsible for this. The city is growing in all directions and we have to catch up with that pace. Apathy on the citizens’ part, lack of awareness about fire prevention and safety are some of the reasons. Negligence on part of officials and structural faults in buildings are also there. All this cannot be changed overnight, but we are taking a systematic approach. Things are changing and you will see the results in the days to come.

Experts say that technology is not being used effectively to fight fires in Mumbai. How would you respond to that?
We are using the best possible technology available at the moment. We have already fast tracked purchase of modern ladders and snorkels. Some of them have been commissioned already. In fact, we are exploring the possibility of using drones and robots to help us fight fires. We want to use drones to help us see the fire and for public address. All this is in process.

What about citizens’ participation and awareness?
We have started a volunteer programme for involving citizens in fire fighting and prevention. We have got good response so far. See, fire fighting has to be a joint effort. People have to take fire prevention seriously. Unless they do that, fire incidents will keep occurring. We have developed a software for regulating the fire compliance certificates of buildings. Once it is ready, we will be able to monitor fire compliance of buildings effectively. We had also appealed to people to get their buildings fire complied as per norms.

What is the conclave going to be about?
The conclave has been planned to create awareness about preventing fires and mitigating their adverse effects. It will have a mix of domestic and international experts speaking on fire safety issues. Other stakeholders from the fire fighting and safety industry will also be part of the conclave. The conclave will focus on formulating a perspective which will serve as a guideline for fire brigade personnel, civic officials and industry experts too. The concept of fire safety science will also be discussed.

When will Mumbai become fire safe in the real sense?
As I said, things don’t change overnight. In Mumbai, development means re-development so the cityscape is changing constantly. Initiatives like this conclave are an effort in that direction. We have learnt from incidents like the Lotus building fire and Kalbadevi’s Gokul Nivas fire. Things will improve gradually through a joint effort. I think we are on the right track.

(Conclave initiated by The Resource 24X7 Media Consultants, dna and Zee 24 Taas)