One out of every five fire service official in Delhi is suffering from chronic health disorders. While most of the firemen have been diagnosed with lung-related issues, on the other hand many officials stand the risk of developing Cancer.
A fireman who has always been deputed on the field says that the amount of smoke they inhale during dousing a fire is equivalent to smoking 100 cigarettes a day.
A Delhi fire official says that in the world, it is the third most hazardous job and all the time firefighters suffer from para-psychological pressure. “In countries like Japan and Singapore, there are para-psychologists at every fire station, but this concept has not been applied in India. In our country, there is no structural health check-up for the firemen, which is followed in western countries,” said the official.
Dr Vikas Maurya, pulmonologist at BlK Super Speciality Hospital said it is very true that due to continuous exposure to the smoke fumes which produces carbon monoxide, fire service officials can suffer from chronic lung diseases such as asthma, bronchitis, tuberculosis. In many cases, it can also lead to instant death as well.
“It has also been seen that continuous exposure to dangerous gases such as carbon monoxide can also cause cancer. For the fire service official, it is very important to use high quality face mask and should carry an oxygen cylinder,” said Dr Maurya adding that in the past, there have been many instances when a firemen on duty died when he was dousing the fire.
Health experts say that the level of smoke exposure causes fatigue, dehydration and psychological pressure to the firemen and in every two months they should undergo a complete body health checks.
In developed countries, the fire fighters work for 8 odd hours and rest for at least 36 hours and in India, firefighters work for continuous 24 hours and sometime till 72 odd hours.
Prasad Nagar Fire Station officer Virkam Singh, who is suffering from cancer, was deputed at National Museum of Natural History’s fire spot. Not only this, many other fire fighters are suffering from lung-related disorders due to the continuous exposure to smoke, said the official.