The British-era uniforms (1887 vintage) worn by fire officials will soon be replaced by ultra-modern polyamide-imide clothing. The new uniform, that will come with personal protective equipment (helmets with face shields, hoods, gloves and boots) has been sanctioned, and will be ready for use in two months.
“There has been a delay all this while, but it will come soon. We have already given out work orders,” said chief fire officer Uday Tatkare. “The new uniforms can resist flames even during sudden explosions, will have thermal conductivity and will be more breathable,” he said.
The city’s fire brigade will also get six new command centres: Two each in the island city, eastern and western suburbs. These centres will will help to drastically reduce the response time during an emergency, said an official.
Also, there are plans to procure fire fighting and rescue equipment such as aerial ladder platforms, fire engines, water tankers, turn-table ladders, rescue vans, thermal imaging camera, mobile compact crane and cardiac ambulance.
For the first time, it has been proposed that a wireless centralised monitoring system be set up in A ward on a pilot basis to cut down on human error and response time in case of an emergency.
Last year, the BMC had hiked the firemen’s risk allowance from Rs 50 to Rs 500. Though this is a welcome move, firemen do not think this would solve all their problems. “We do not get any state insurance. We have been fighting for it for a long time, but don’t know when it will happen,” said a senior fire official.