A tragedy was on Tuesday averted near Dhurwa Gol Chakkar where the buses beside a petrol pump caught fire due to heat. The fire department personnel reached the spot on time and doused the fire in time.
Earlier too many such incidents from different parts of the city were reported due to scorching heat. However, all these small fire incidents were handled with care without putting a person’s life at stake.
The Fire Services department, observing ‘Fire Safety Week’ is planning to expand its services in the near future, “The influence of sweltering summer cannot be denied. We too get reports about fire catch incidents frequently in the summer season; however, our team is competent enough to handle it. Presently, we have 34 fire stations functioning across the state. 11 more fire stations are likely to come soon. Moreover, the department is also filling vacant positions to address the issue of staff crunch,” informed, Rajiv Kumar, DG, Home Guard and Fire Safety.
Similarly, various wildlife sanctuaries and forest reserves in the State have been threatened by small and medium forest fires almost every day since the beginning of April, due to the affect of early summer. Minor wildfires are also being reported at regular interval from other districts too on a regular basis.
The Forest Survey of India (FSI) report suggests approximately, 195 cases of small and major wildfires in the state since April 1 at various wildlife sanctuaries, whereas more than 300 cases of wildfires were reported in March creating problem for both Forest Rangers and endangered species. In the similar context, both Dalma and Hazaribagh sanctuaries have been identified as the most vulnerable forests.
Notably, as April 14 to April 20 has been designated as the ‘Fire services week’, the department personnel are on toe and are also working rigorously to disseminate information about various fire safety measures among the people including school children too to combat small fire incidents. “During the ‘Fire Services week’, which was formally initiated in 1944 is meant to create awareness among the masses on various fire preventive measures. Keeping the theme in mind every year, the department organizes awareness drive to publicise information on wider perspectives. As only with the equal effort and awareness of both public and department personnel any fire incidents can be handled,” added Kumar.