Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, on Thursday, said that Uttar Pradesh had seen the setting up of 73 fire stations in the last seven years and was well on the way to become the first state in the country to have fire stations at the tehsil level.

Inaugurating and laying foundation stones of 38 fire stations virtually from his official residence, Chief Minister Yogi said: “The UP Fire and Emergency Services was established in the state in the year 1944. However, until 2017, only 288 fire stations were established in the state, while in the last seven years, 71 new fire stations have been set up. Today, we are moving ahead to become the first state in the country to have fire stations at the tehsil level.”

The chief minister also flagged off 35 fire fighting vehicles on the occasion. He remarked: “We have advanced the programme of extensive reforms in law enforcement. As a result, rapid modernisation is taking place in fire services in view of its importance in dealing with emergencies. So far, we have allocated approximately Rs 1,400 crore for the strengthening of departmental services.”

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath highlighted the significant strides taken towards modernisation of the department over the past seven years, including the prompt deployment of officials.

These efforts have yielded visible results, he stated, pointing out that previously, complaints about the complexity of the NOC process were frequent. “We implemented various changes to streamline it, leading to a substantial enhancement in Uttar Pradesh’s ease of doing business ranking in recent years,” he added.

Chief Minister Yogi emphasised the need to prioritise reducing the response times for fire tenders to mitigate loss of life and property. “Significant enhancements have been made in this area in recent years, resulting in the saving of 3,780 lives in more than 33,000 fire incidents. Furthermore, lives of over 5,000 animals and properties valued at Rs 150 crore were also saved from getting damaged. Additionally, the department remains vigilant in managing crop fires during hot winds and has focused on modernising emergency services to address these concerns,” he said.

He added that the government has not only modernised fire services, but has also established the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) in the state.

Currently, six companies of SDRF are operational. Besides, the formation of the Special Security Force for the protection of important buildings and institutions within the state has also been completed.

By advancing these efforts, the government aims to strengthen the confidence of the residents, investors, and tourists. In this regard, in the first phase, fire stations will be established at the district level, and in the second phase, at the tehsil level within one and a half years.

The chief minister said that reducing department response time would strengthen the common man’s trust in the department and the government. “We must ensure that help reaches people immediately after a fire mishap. Training and counseling of children in schools and colleges regarding precautionary and rescue measures should be part of the programme. This is crucial not only to rely on the department during normal days but also to initiate prevention as soon as an incident occurs,” he added.

“We need to prepare people in advance for prevention. Identify the negligence responsible for fire incidents, and educate people on how to prevent loss of life so that till the time help reaches, people themselves can carry out rescue operations at their level. Every incident should be a lesson for us, and we should communicate that lesson to the people so that negligence can be avoided,” he mentioned.

Yogi lamented the insensitivity displayed by people during accidents by taking selfies at the accident site rather than helping the victim.

Meanwhile, the chief minister also visited the exhibition organised by the Fire and Emergency Services and got information about fire-fighting equipment from the officials.

Transport Minister Daya Shankar Singh, Jal Shakti Minister Swatantra Dev Singh, Chief Secretary Durga Shanker Mishra, Principal Secretary (Home) Sanjay Prasad, DGP Prashant Kumar, Director General Fire and Emergency Services Avinash Chandra and other officials participated in the programme.