New Delhi, May 11 (PTI) Regular fire safety audits of schools, colleges, hospitals and night shelters will be conducted, while RWAs, market associations and other social organisations will take part in awareness campaigns and mock drills as part of measures to strengthen emergency preparedness across the capital.
Delhi Home Minister Ashish Sood issued these directions while chairing a review meeting with senior and divisional officers of the Delhi Fire Services at the secretariat, on Monday.
The meeting focused on fire prevention measures, bottlenecks in the existing fire safety mechanism, emergency preparedness, availability of modern firefighting equipment, procurement of new fire vehicles and the proposed modernisation of the fire department.
Discussions were also held on improving the response time of the fire department, upgrading the internal communication system, developing a modern command and control mechanism and providing advanced technical training to fire personnel in line with evolving technologies, according to a statement.
Sood directed officials to strengthen Delhi’s fire safety system to ensure swift and effective action during emergencies.
He said the government is continuously working towards modernising the infrastructure and machinery of the fire department while giving priority to the safety of residents.
The minister instructed divisional officers to coordinate with resident welfare associations (RWAs), market bodies, religious committees, clubs and other social organisations to conduct awareness campaigns on fire safety, including mock drills and programmes on ‘Do’s and Don’ts’ during fire incidents.
He also told officials to encourage residents to install modern fire safety equipment such as sprinklers and smoke detector systems at homes.
The statement said the fire department has been asked to prepare a comprehensive fire fighting master plan for the next three, 15 and 25 years in view of Delhi’s growing population and rapid urbanisation.
Awareness campaigns should also be conducted in buildings and areas that do not directly fall under the operational jurisdiction of Delhi Fire Services so that more residents could be informed about fire safety measures, Sood said.
The minister further directed the principal director of the fire department to convene an inter-departmental coordination meeting involving Delhi Police, Delhi Development Authority, Municipal Corporation of Delhi, power discoms, Delhi Cantonment Board and other civic agencies to improve coordination, and strengthen disaster management and emegency response. PTI SHB ARB ARB
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