Fire safety for all is the need of the hour, says Principal Secretary to PM

Fire safety is a concern for everyone and that there is a need to strive towards fire safety for all, said Dr P K Mishra, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, here on Friday.

"I am happy to see the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) chose the theme of 'Fire Safety' for this year's Formation Day. At a time when the devastating forest fire in the Amazon attracted the world's attention, and the heart-rending Surat fire incident played havoc, fire safety is indeed a matter of concern," said Mishra, speaking at the 15th Foundation Day of the NDMA.

"In a rapidly developing country like ours, the risk of the chemical and industrial fire remains very high," he said.

Praising the NDMA for its effortless work during various disaster incidents, he said: "The NDMA's guidelines on temporary shelters for disaster-affected families and the home owner's guide for earthquake and cyclone safety are no less forward-looking."

"NDMA report on the Cyclone Gaja played an important role in improving our preparedness for similar events in the future," he said.

Stressing that fire accidents need to be handled with the utmost care, Mishra said that adequate training and the right protective gear for our firefighters are essential.

He added: "Those in charge of enforcing these regulations should be trained on legal and technical provisions, fire types, associated risks, fire prevention, mitigation and response mechsms."

Mishra said the use of drones, remote-controlled robots and hand-held laser infrared cameras by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to deal with fire accidents is commendable.

"We should seriously consider upgrading our fire services in a manner that firefighters become the first responders in case of any disaster or emergency after the affected community itself," he said.

"Regular mock drills coupled with massive awareness campaigns at the community level are needed to make fire safety everyone's agenda," added Dr Mirshra.

Maintaining that there is a shortage of firefighters in the country, he said: "To address this gap, civil defence volunteers are being trained by fire personnel to assist them in effectively responding to fire emergencies at the community level."

( With inputs from ANI )