In a bid to reduce the response time taken by fire officers during an incident, especially in congested areas, the Mumbai Fire Brigade is planning to have firefighting motorbikes with basic facilities — a water tank, pump and GPS
BMC has made a provision of Rs 3.1 crore in its 2017-18 budget to purchase 20 fire bikes
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In a bid to reduce the response time taken by fire officers during an incident, especially in congested areas, the Mumbai Fire Brigade is planning to have firefighting motorbikes with basic facilities — a water tank, pump and GPS.
Officials said they faced a lot of problems in firefighting in Bhendi Bazaar, Dongri, Bhuleshwar and other such areas, especially slums, due to the narrow lanes and traffic jams. The congestion led to delay and affected rescue work, they added.
Fire officials said these bikes would be placed at mini fire stations, and in case of emergencies in areas having congested lanes, they would be deployed as first attack.
A ride away
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has made a provision of R3.1 crore in its 2017-18 budget to purchase 20 fire bikes.
Fire brigade officers want to deploy these bikes at those locations from where fire stations are farther away and fire tenders take more than the prescribed standard response time to reach the incident spot. As per the SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) of the fire brigade, after a call, firemen should reach the spot in eight to 10 minutes.
Last October, a demonstration was held of one of such bike at the Byculla Command Centre.
A Royal Enfield Himalyan 410CC was modified into a small firefighting vehicle. One bike costs R7 lakh approximately and the Madhya Pradesh government is using such bikes for firefighting.
The bike will have a high-pressure pump with two water tanks of 30 litres capacity on either side. The tank is connected with a 25-metre high-pressure reel hose that can jet water up to 20 metres. It has the capacity to fight for 10 minutes, if there is small fire or if the blaze has just started.
Ready to fight
A senior fire brigade officer said, “With the help of these bikes, we should be able to contain a fire at the initial stage by using the water pumps. The quick response will reduce the risk of the fire spreading and becoming a major one.”
The fire brigade recently passed a proposal to purchase 17 mini fire tenders, also known as quick response multi-purpose vehicles, for R31 crore. These, with a capacity to hold 500 litres water, foam mist, cutters and lifting gears, rescue tools and breathing apparatus, will be deployed at 17 locations, such as ward offices, schools and hospitals across the city.
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