22 of 30 firemen refused to wear protective suits, said gear was ‘too heavy, hot’
In a development that has put a huge question mark on Saturday’s rescue operation at Lake Lucerne building in Chandivali - where a fire on the 14th floor killed seven people and injured more than 20 – the BMC has said that 22 of the 30 firemen involved in the operation had refused to wear the fire-proof suits, terming them “too heavy and uncomfortable”.
The Lake Lucerne residents had slammed the fire brigade, saying the firemen “appeared reluctant to enter the building”, and that a few people from the nearby chawls rescued several residents before perishing in the fire.
Just a month ago (May 9), the fire department top brass, including its chief Sunil Nesarikar, and deputy chief fire officer Sudhir Amin, had died in a blaze at a Kalbadevi building, and the lack of protective gear was blamed for the casualties.
The BMC, which is likely to issue show cause notices to the 22 firemen today (Wednesday), has said that the fire-proof gear was “lying unused” at the fire stations, while the firemen struggled to evacuate the Chandivali highrise.
“It has come to light that 22 firemen who took part in Saturday’s rescue operation did not wear the fireproof suits. These suits are created from a material that protects the wearer from heat and burns. Without the help of such equipment, professional fire-fighting is not possible,” a senior fire brigade official said.
Additional Municipal Commissioner (in-charge of the fire brigade) Sanjay Deshmukh warned the firemen of stern action. “If it is proved that these firemen have violated the standard operating procedures, we will take a stern disciplinary action,” he said.
Firemen from Marol, Vikhroli and Andheri fire stations were part of the rescue operation on Saturday. The BMC sources said that the deputy chief fire officers (DCFOs) will conduct an inquiry and recommend punishments. The firemen could face a stay on increments for a couple of years, the sources said.
The decision to not wear fireproof gear has come as a huge embarrassment for the fire brigade, after the firemen had bitterly complained about the lack of such equipment during rescue operations at Kalbadevi, and at the Lotus Business Park in Andheri in July last year. During the Lotus Business Park operation, the firemen had said that the boots were of such poor quality that they had melted in the heat.
“The firemen always complain that they don’t have proper equipment, including the fire-fighting suits. In this case, most of them didn’t even touch the suits, which don’t catch fire and are able to withstand very high temperatures,” a civic official said.
A senior fire brigade official added, “There is no excuse for not wearing the stipulated protective gear during a massive blaze. Though it did not actually hamper the rescue work, the firemen put themselves at ahigh risk.”
The controversial suits
According to the BMC’s audits, about 2,000 fire-fighting suits were purchased in 2011 at the cost of Rs 30 crore. However, several of these suits were allegedly of sub-standard material, and were not distributed to the fire stations for several months.
The BMC officials claimed the allegations were baseless, and all fire stations were provided with these suits immediately after the purchase. Later, it emerged that the BMC had purchased multi-purpose safety belts for the firemen for Rs 10,743 per belt, while similar belts were purchased by the state police for Rs 1,980 apiece. After the safety belts scam, the BMC had suspended all procurements for the fire department.
The Lake Lucerne residents had slammed the fire brigade, saying the firemen “appeared reluctant to enter the building”, and that a few people from the nearby chawls rescued several residents before perishing in the fire.
Just a month ago (May 9), the fire department top brass, including its chief Sunil Nesarikar, and deputy chief fire officer Sudhir Amin, had died in a blaze at a Kalbadevi building, and the lack of protective gear was blamed for the casualties.
After the Kalbadevi incident, the firemen had come out with a list of changes they wanted in the department, ranging from providing gymnasiums in fire stations and conducting drills in malls and high-rises to making firemen familiar with the latest elevators, and fire-fighting equipment (Firemen submit 8-point list of changes to BMC, MM, May 17).
The BMC, which is likely to issue show cause notices to the 22 firemen today (Wednesday), has said that the fire-proof gear was “lying unused” at the fire stations, while the firemen struggled to evacuate the Chandivali highrise.
“It has come to light that 22 firemen who took part in Saturday’s rescue operation did not wear the fireproof suits. These suits are created from a material that protects the wearer from heat and burns. Without the help of such equipment, professional fire-fighting is not possible,” a senior fire brigade official said.
Additional Municipal Commissioner (in-charge of the fire brigade) Sanjay Deshmukh warned the firemen of stern action. “If it is proved that these firemen have violated the standard operating procedures, we will take a stern disciplinary action,” he said.
Firemen from Marol, Vikhroli and Andheri fire stations were part of the rescue operation on Saturday. The BMC sources said that the deputy chief fire officers (DCFOs) will conduct an inquiry and recommend punishments. The firemen could face a stay on increments for a couple of years, the sources said.
The decision to not wear fireproof gear has come as a huge embarrassment for the fire brigade, after the firemen had bitterly complained about the lack of such equipment during rescue operations at Kalbadevi, and at the Lotus Business Park in Andheri in July last year. During the Lotus Business Park operation, the firemen had said that the boots were of such poor quality that they had melted in the heat.
“The firemen always complain that they don’t have proper equipment, including the fire-fighting suits. In this case, most of them didn’t even touch the suits, which don’t catch fire and are able to withstand very high temperatures,” a civic official said.
A senior fire brigade official added, “There is no excuse for not wearing the stipulated protective gear during a massive blaze. Though it did not actually hamper the rescue work, the firemen put themselves at ahigh risk.”
The controversial suits
According to the BMC’s audits, about 2,000 fire-fighting suits were purchased in 2011 at the cost of Rs 30 crore. However, several of these suits were allegedly of sub-standard material, and were not distributed to the fire stations for several months.
The BMC officials claimed the allegations were baseless, and all fire stations were provided with these suits immediately after the purchase. Later, it emerged that the BMC had purchased multi-purpose safety belts for the firemen for Rs 10,743 per belt, while similar belts were purchased by the state police for Rs 1,980 apiece. After the safety belts scam, the BMC had suspended all procurements for the fire department.
