Mumbai Fire Department is about to up its tech game.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is planning to empower the Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) with hi-tech spatial technology.
According to sources, Global Positioning System (GPS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping is set to be introduced to the city's fire brigade soon. A proposal regarding this state-of-the-art technological intervention in MFB will be tabled before the civic Standing Committee on Friday.
The move is expected to bring in much-needed real-time coordination between firemen and the control room, wherein firemen will have access to live images of the spot and traffic on the way, and calls will be relayed directly to the fire station.
"The objective of this technological intervention is to minimise the aspect of human error in tracking and reporting of such disasters. Before this technology, we (MFB) were completely dependent on telephonic communication to relay any message during emergencies. Thus, a need was felt to allow calls to be connected directly to the fire station concerned," said a senior MFB officer.
Explaining the mechanism, the official said the system will directly pick up a caller's location, if he/she has a GPS-enabled device or is calling through a landline phone. If the call is made from a mobile phone, however, the MFB will key in the said location of the spot in the system and an alert will be sent to the nearest fire station concerned for immediate intervention. He added that the system will also provide live-time video imaging and analytic for better resource mobilisation.
Apart from the GPS and GIS technology support, the MFB will also arm themselves with Automatic Vehicle Tracking System (AVTS) and Distress Call Response Management System (DCRMS), which will pick up the traffic in a certain area through existing websites and relay it to fire tankers to allow them to avoid a certain route.
An array of technologies will be harnessed at the state-of-the-art control room on the third floor of the new building in Byculla, which has also undergone major restructuring in view of the plans. "Provisions have been made to ensure uninterrupted power supply to the control room in Byculla. The system will also have a backup control room, possibly in Borivli, in case the former is damaged in a natural disaster," the officer informed.
In 2015, the MFB had appointed IIT-Bombay as consultant for this proposed project, with its current budget projected to be around Rs62.52 crore.
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