Karnataka - Mangalore   

Hi-tech fire engine for Mangalore

— Photo: R. Eswarraj

New building:Dakshina Kannada district in-charge Minister Krishna J. Palemar unveiling the foundation stone for a fire station at Pandeshwar in Mangalore on Friday.

MANGALORE: The city will get a turntable ladder fire truck which will fight fire at a height of 30 metres. It is required to extinguish fire in high-rise buildings, according to D.V. Guruprasad, Director, Fire and Emergency Services and Commandant-General, Home Guards and Civil Defence.

The city would get the equipment mounted on a truck in a year. It would cost Rs. 3.5 crore and was under fabrication. Mangalore would be the third city to get such a truck after Bangalore and Hubli, he said on Friday.

In an informal chat with presspersons after attending a function organised to lay the foundation stone for a fire station building at Pandeshwar, he said that the truck in Bangalore could fight fire at a height of 52 metres and the one in Hubli at 30 metres.

Mr. Guruprasad said as many high-rise buildings had come up in Mangalore and more were in the offing, having a turntable ladder fire truck was the need of the hour. The Mangalore City Corporation should ensure that roads were widened in the city to enable movement of the truck to reach emergency spots without any delay.

Civil defence units

The DGP said that the Government had planned to open civil defence units in all major cities and towns in the State, including in Mangalore. Now such units functioned only in Bangalore and Mysore.

The Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada had been requested to select a person to head the unit. The civil defence unit comprised civilians as members. They helped the police and fire service personnel to tackle emergency situations. “They are the eyes and ears of the police. They link police and fire services personnel,'' he said. Mr. Guruprasad said that Home Guards personnel would train members of such units in handling emergency situations, rescue operations and providing first aid. Bangalore had 8,000 civil defence members.

Earlier addressing the gathering at the function, he said that a fire station would be opened at Phajir near Konaje.

He said that the Government had planned to open fire stations in all taluk headquarters of the State and more stations would be opened in tier II cities.

Mr. Guruprasad said that 30 high-rise buildings had been audited in the State for safety.

The new fire station building at Pandeshwar will have bays (parking) for eight fire engines. It will be built at an estimated cost of Rs. 2.52 crore. The contractor will have to complete it by May, 2012. Minister in-charge of Dakshina Kannada J. Krishna Palemar asked the contractor to complete the building within the stipulated period.

Inspector General of Police (Western Range) Alok Mohan, Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh, Superintendent of Police Labu Ram, Mayor Praveen and MP Nalin Kumar Kateel participated in the function.

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