Amritsar: Fire Dept inducts tallest hydraulic aerial ladder platform machine

Amritsar, October 15

Local Bodies Minister Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar handed over an aerial ladder hydraulic platform machine to the Amritsar Municipal Corporation in the presence of Mayor Karamjit Singh Rintu to upgrade the Fire Brigade Department of the civic body here on Saturday.

On the occasion, Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar said the total cost of this project was Rs 8.50 crore, including operation and maintenance of the machine for seven years and the training of the officers and employees of the department for the first six months would be done by the manufacturing company.

He said by connecting the water browser tender with this machine, which has already been received by the department under the Smart City Mission, it would be possible to for firemen to control a fire up to a height of about 70 metres. With this machine, a rescue operation can be done easily even by going up to a height of 52 m outside the building during an emergency. This machine is equipped with infrared technology, which enables firefighters to tackle a fire in an effective manner.

On the occasion, Mayor Karamjit Singh Rintu said the Fire Brigade Department was being upgraded on priority and earlier under the Smart City Mission, the department had been upgraded with modern equipment at a cost of around 4.5 crore.

It is worth mentioning here that narrow streets in the walled city pose a major challenge to firefighters in the city. Most buildings lack clearance from the department and century-old structures usually collapse during the monsoon season.

Earlier, the Fire Department got several modern equipment under the Smart City Mission, which can work efficiently in narrow streets and high-end buildings. The MC had purchased fire suits, nozzles, pumps and vehicles in the first phase of the Smart City project.