Mumbai’s fire brigade to have its own ‘agniveers’

The quick-response vehicles that the BMC is planning to purchase

The Mumbai fire brigade has decided to appoint a quick-response team to serve as first respondents for 22 administrative wards in the city. In the hope of reducing the Mumbai fire brigade's response time in peak hours from 12-14 minutes to 6-7 minutes, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will purchase 22 quick-response vehicles (QRV). Firefighters for these, however, will be appointed on a contractual basis.

Chief Fire Officer Hemant Parab recently wrote to all ward officers, informing them that the vehicles would be delivered eight months after the issuance of the purchase order. According to Parab's letter, the QRVs will offer better services to Mumbai citizens during disasters and also meet the response time criteria set by the Standing Fire Advisory Council of the Home Ministry.

According to an official, each QRV costs Rs 1.87 crore. There will be a supervisor, two firemen and one driver in each vehicle. Each employee's monthly salary will be around Rs 30,000, the official stated. A contractor will appoint trained staff. "Completion of a six-month firefighting course from the state or national firefighting institute is compulsory for applicants. And for supervisors, completion of a one-year firefighting course from the state or national firefighting institute or other institute recognised by the government is mandatory," the official said.

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The Shiv Sena-led Mumbai Agnishaman Dal Ladhau Kamgar Sena has opposed this move. The secretary of the union, former Mayor Kishori Pednekar, wrote a letter to the state urban development ministry and municipal commissioner IS Chahal, asking that the proposal be scrapped.

"This will have a direct impact on the functioning of the fire service. The intervention of private firemen in relief work will impact the fire brigade's functioning," she stated. "There are around 1,400 to 1,500 vacant posts in the Mumbai fire brigade. Instead of filling them, the BMC is contracting firemen," said the president of the union, Baba Kadam. "Maybe this is the start of the privatisation of the Mumbai fire brigade," he added.

"Firemen and fire brigade officers are at risk and the BMC is responsible for them. But who will be responsible for these firemen," the union leader asked. "Our jawans are experienced enough to handle disasters. These contractual firemen will not have any experience. The BMC should revoke this decision," he stated. Asked about the union's opposition, Parab said, "I haven't received their letter yet so I can't say anything right now."