Date:22/09/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/22/stories/2008092255520500.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Digital control room to be opened in Chennai fire stations

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: To reduce the response time at times of emergency, a state-of-the-art digital control room is being set up in all 28 fire stations in the city, Additional Director-General of Police and Director of Fire and Rescue Services K.R. Shyamsundar said on Sunday.

The control room will start functioning in February. All 28 fire tenders and other vehicles in the city will be fitted with Global Positioning System (GPS). This will cost Rs 15 lakh.

Furthermore, Chennai North, South and Central will get three sky-lifts that can reach as high as 54 metres. Global tenders will be floated soon, Mr. Shyamsundar told The Hindu.

“Though the State government’s policy stipulates that our response time be 10 minutes, we reach the spot in seven minutes. However, owing to the growing vehicle population, sometimes we find it difficult. The digital centre will be equipped with an elaborate map that could pinpoint even a particular residence and will enable us to take an alternative route. Later, we will set up a digital control room in other parts of the State,” he said.

Certificates for 70,000 buildings

Earlier, delivering his keynote address at a seminar on ‘Creating Safe India’ organised by the Chennai branch of the Institution of Fire Engineers, Mr. Shyamsundar said his department was playing a pro-active role and planned to issue no-objection certificate to more than 70,000 buildings in the State after inspection.

“So far, the owners of 16,000 buildings have obtained the certificate. In the next three months, we will visit all multi-storey buildings, IT buildings, factories, commercial complexes and buildings coming under the special category; educate the owners about the safety aspects and ask them to comply with the norms. We will then issue the NOC. We will also go to schools and colleges to create awareness of fire prevention and safety,” he said.

Additional Chief Secretary Susan Mathew said fire accidents occurred owing to carelessness and lack of sensitivity.

Paul Richardson, international president, Institution of Fire Engineers, said the Chennai branch should partner local bodies to play a pro-active role.

Lifetime achievement awards were conferred on the former Union Fire Advisor, G.B. Menon, and institution’s Chennai branch president S. Maruthappa.