The Delhi Fire Service continued to protect the life and property of citizens of National capital territory of Delhi under the resplendent command of R. C. Sharma, Chief Fire Officer The Delhi Fire Service is under the Administrative control of Principal Secretary (Home), Government of National capital territory of Delhi. The Service discipline, efficiency and morale of the officers and staff members remained to be of high order. Chief Fire Officers was ably assisted the Chief Fire Officers
Sarvshri Surinder Kumar, Ajay Kumar Sharma and G. C. Misra, Deputy Chief Fire Officers for the smooth and prompt function of Delhi Fire Service. The General Officer was headed by an Assistant Commissioner (Fire) who discharged his duties with the help of an Administrative Officers, Sr. Account officer and others staff members. A brief on the organization, facts and figures of the working of Delhi Fire Service are given as under: -
The Delhi Fire Service is an important department of the Government of NCT of Delhi.
The Delhi Fire Service is comprised of 34 fire stations including the Training Center. It has its own auto as well as wireless workshop to take care of its equipment. The administrative control remains with the Headquarter situated at Cannaught Lane, New Delhi. The Fire Station are divided in four divisions and each division headed by Deputy Chief Fire Officers who is assisted by Divisional Officers and Assistant Divisional Officers. The Station Officers Sub/ Officers remain incharge of each fire station. The Service is providing coverage to the entire National Capital Territory of Delhi having an area of 1483Sq. Kilometers (685 Sq. Kms. Urban and 798 Sq. Kms. Rural) with a population of over 10.83 millions approximately.
Apart from attending fire calls, Delhi Fire Service has been sending vehicles on stand by duties as fire safety precaution during public gathering and VVIP’s visits (President, Vice-President, Prime Minister) to various place in Delhi. The water tenders were also sent on stand by duty against payment of prescribe charge during the functions where inbuilt fire safety arrangements were not available and requests were made by various agencies for the same.
The Delhi Fire Service has been doing commendable job in responding to foreign fire calls on demand in the neighboring states of Haryana and U.P and bringing the situation under control in shortest possible time.
The Delhi Fire Service maintained a fleet of total 291 fire fighting and other supporting units.
The Headquarter comprised of General Office, Control Room, Wireless Section, Auto Workshop, General Store, Centralized Multi-Storeyed /Fire Prevention Wing, Record Room and Water Section. The Hose store is being maintained at Rakab Ganj Fire Station and Petrol Store at Moti Nagar Fire Station. The Headquarter and Cannaught Circus Fire Station are equipped with special appliances for combating any kind of eventually arising in the cluster of high-rise buildings and other special rescue jobs. Specialized units are also positioned at Chanakaya Puri, Bhikaji Cama Place, Cannaught Place, Safdarjung, Nehru Place, Prasad Nagar, Shankar Road, Janak Puri, and Laxmi Nagar Fire Stations. Like every year, this year also during the summer season, four temporary fire post were set up in rural area viz. Alipur (Shaheed Samarak near Petrol Pump at G.T. Road), Jaffarpur (Jaffarpur Hospital), Tikri Kalan (Bottling Plant) and Gamri (Trans-Yamuna) to provide proper fire coverage to the harvested croups from 1-4-97 to 30-6-97 in view of the potential risk in the rural area, to avoid any loss to the lives and property of the public.
The Delhi Fire Service attended 13685 calls during the year 2001-02. The comparative figures for the last 5 years are given as under :
| S.No. | Year | No. of Calls | Approx. Loss in Lakhs | Property Saved in Lakhs | Injured | Deaths | Medium | Serious | Major
| 1 | 96-97 | 14866 | 4989 | 8190 | 1704 | 398 | 18 | 4 | -
| 2 | 97-98 | 14254 | 2439 | 10389 | 1667 | 399 | 15 | 6 | -
| 3 | 98-99 | 15455 | 2170 | 5547 | 1495 | 375 | 22 | 6 | -
| 4 | 99-2000 | 15002 | 2244 | 6998 | 1257 | 269 | 28 | 5 | 1
| 5 | 2000-01 | 14877 | 4571 | 12761 | 1250 | 263 | 19 | 7 | 1
| 6 | 2001-02 | 13685 | 3430 | 5331 | 1197 | 261 | 12 | 3 | -
| |
From the above, it may be noted that there has been a downward trend in number of fire calls in the last year as compared to 1999-2000.
The occupancy wise breakup of fire incidents during the calendar year is as under :
| Year | JJ. Cluster | High Rise | Industrial | Residential | Others
| 1991 | 150 (10202) | 150 | 475 | 1604 | 4880
| 1992 | 168 (9634) | 128 | 516 | 1785 | 5853
| 1993 | 163 (4557) | 173 | 458 | 1882 | 4950
| 1997 | 115 (1985) | 87 | 653 | 2681 | 7646
| 1998 | 108 5820) | 87 | 590 | 2462 | 7081
| 1999 | 175 (7840) | 66 | 640 | 2701 | 8858
| 2000 | 168 (5409) | 72 | 594 | 3117 | 8105
| 2001 | 126 | 63 | 516 | 2987 | 7846
| |
A perusal of fire statistics in the table above indicates that the annual fire losses, number of fires in residential occupancies and high rise buildings increased whereas the total number of fire calls, number of fatalities, fire incidents in Industrial units. JJ. Clusers have reduced. Most of the deaths reported in the fire incident are on account of inhalation of toxic gases, which are liberated when plastics/PVC and other petroleum based, products are involved in fire.
| 1. | Major | 1 |
| 2. | Foreign | 7 |
| 3. | Serious | 3 |
| 4 | Medium | 28 |
| 5 | Small | 11321 |
| 6 | Good intension fire calls | 151 |
| 7 | Malicious | 972 |
| Total | 12483 |
| 1. | Drowning | 128 |
| 2. | House Collapse | 132 |
| 3. | Road Accidents | 142 |
| 4 | Special Jobs | 375 |
| 5 | Rescue | 137 |
| 6 | Full Emergency | 18 |
| 7 | Mock Exercise | 9 |
| 8 | Animal Rescue | 601 |
| 9 | Bomb Explosion | 2 |
| 10 | Malicious | 192 |
| 11 | Good Intension | 28 |
| Total | 1764 |
| 1 | Local | 773 |
| Total | 773 |
| 1. | Fire Calls | 12483 |
| 2. | Rescue & other Calls | 1764 |
| 3 | Stand by | 773 |
| Total | 15020 |
During the year under report, the fire service rescued persons from fires, house collapse drowning and road accidents. As per our record 399 persons lost their lives and 1967 persons sustained injuries and were saved from fire and other emergencies. The break-up is produced hereunder :
| Sr. No | Category | Dead | Injured/Saved
| 01 | Fire | 146 | 162
| 02 | Rescue (Human Beings) | 149 | 773
| | Total | 295 | 1345
| |
The estimated loss due to fire is Rs. 2,213 lacs approximately as compared to Rs. 2,170 lacs approximately in the previous year. The estimate of property saved from fire is Rs. 6,608 lacs as compared to Rs. 5,547 lacs approximately.
| S.No. | Address | Date | Time | Approx. | Approx.
| 1 | R.T. Export, Narela Road | 30.4.87 | 1700 | 20,00,000 | 5,00,000
| 2 | C-91 Udyog Vihar, Gurgaon | 22.5.97 | 510 | Not given | Not given
| 3 | Marusar, Gurgaon | 27.5.97 | 2235 | Not given | Not given
| 4 | Plot Nos 895, 896, Ahead
Tikri Border | 7.7.97 | 2045 | 2,00,000 | 8,00,000
| 5 | Acron Plywood Auchandi
Border | 2.10.97 | 1435 | 8,00,000 | 92,00,000
| 6 | G-72, Modern Industrial Area
Bahadurgarh | 11.12.97 | 330 | 2,00,000 | 8,00,000
| |
| S.No. | Address | Date | Time | Approx. | Approx.
| 1. | Near Nalla Kirti Nagar
Timber Godown & Huts | 27.4.97 | 325 | Not given | Not given
| 2. | Near Digamba Jain Mandir, Lajpat Rai Market, Delhi | 23.5.97 | 22 | 18,45,000 | 12,20,000
| 3. | Uphaar Cinema, Green Park | 13.6.97 | 1710 | Not given | Not given
| 4 | 9th Floor Chander Lok Bldg | 17.6.97 | 910 | 50,00,000 | 40,00,000
| 5 | Laxmi Market, Gandhi Ngr | 17.6.97 | 2220 | 50,00,000 | 1,00,30,500
| 6 | Core No. 4 Scope, Complex Lodhi Road | 2.10.97 | 1750 | 80,00,000 | 20,00,000
| |
| S.No. | Address | Date | Time | Approx. | Approx.
| 1. | Old Lajpat Rai Market | 11.4.97 | 445 | 67,75,000 | 5,25,000
| 2 | C-298, Mayapuri Phase-II | 19.4.97 | 1655 | 10,00,000 | 5,00,000
| 3 | Near Pantoon Bridge,
Shanti Van | 30.4.97 | 1950 | 30,00,000 | 20,00,000
| 4 | Amar Colony, Kamruddin
Ngr. | 11.5.97 | 1630 | 20,00,000 | Nil
| 5 | I.T.O. Bridge, Geeta Col
side | 13.5.97 | 2251 | 2,00,000 | 3,00,000
| 6 | Hero Pharmacy,Chandni
Chowk | 17.6.97 | 315 | 2,00,000 | 3,00,000
| 7 | Shop no. 104, Old Lajpat
Rai Mkt. | 13.7.97 | 1000 | 28,50,000 | 11,50,000
| 8 | Export House, Libaspur | 30.7.97 | 1844 | 50,00,000 | 50,00.000
| 9 | Gulab Bhawan, I.T.O. | 13.9.97 | 2145 | 40,00,000 | 60,00,000
| 10 | Vill. Ghevra, Paint Factory | 25.9.97 | 1255 | 3,00,000 | 3,00,000
| 11 | B-23, Wazirpur Ind. Area | 8.10.97 | 1545 | 15,00,000 | 55,00,000
| 12 | T-Point Naraina, Ring
Road | 21.10.97 | 520 | 7,00,000 | 8,00,000
| |
The sources of water supply for the fire fighting are ‘Fire Hydrants and Underground Water Static Tanks’. The water supply in the hydrants is restricted and water is available only for few hours in the morning and evening static tanks are the main sources of establishing water supply for the purpose of fire fighting in Urban and Industrial areas.
There are about 7640 fire hydrants, 302 underground static tanks, two canals and one river in the National Capital Territory of Delhi from which water is taken for the fire fighting.