Delhi Fire Service is training women in JJ groups to assist its firefighters in handling emergency situations
Delhi Fire Service is training women in JJ groups to assist its firefighters in handling emergency situations
On May 26, 2020, Nargis Begum, ran to save her life when her JJ Colony in Tughlakabad caught fire. The fire burned 250 shanties, including theirs, and left over 1,000 people homeless. It still haunts the 33-year-old.
till 2022. Ms Begum has been trained in basic fire fighting techniques and is in a position to face such without panic. “I enrolled myself in a training program by Delhi Fire Service (DFS) to assist firefighters in case of fire,” he said.
She is one of 200 women who opened fire earlier this month to learn about the do’s and don’ts of fire safety measures, along with some basic techniques to deal with such situations. Took training
The fire department, BSES and Mehr Charitable Trust, an NGO, signed a MoU earlier this month with an aim to create awareness and train people to control fire incidents using available resources at home. Had to do.
On completion of the training, each woman is given a ‘Main Bhi Firefighter Hoon’ (I am also a firefighter) certificate. DFS has so far trained two batches of 200 women from two JJ colonies.
“I can now teach others how to deal with such situations,” says Begum.
danger of accidents
The fire took several hours due to the LPG cylinder explosion that turned the Tughlakabad JJ cluster into ashes. But according to DFS chief Atul Garg, “panic among residents was hard to control.”
According to a fire official, several JJ colonies, such as those in Tughlakabad, are prone to fire as residents store inflammable materials like polythene and wood inside their homes. In addition, narrow access lanes often make it difficult for firefighters to navigate and reach the spot with equipment for timely action.
Shri Garg said that the detailed record of each woman trained in basic fire fighting techniques would be maintained by the DFS so that she could be called for help during emergencies.
“The aim is to make women feel confident and help fire tenders to reach the spot by guiding them about alternate routes in case of emergency. Trained women can also help by clearing roads for DFS vehicles and also make firefighters aware of nearby water sources.
Bhavna Anand, 28, a resident of a JJ Colony in Kalkaji, says her training was essential given the nature of her employment. Working in an event management company, Ms. Anand regularly handles cylinders and electrical switches, among other things.
During her training at Govindpuri, Ms. Anand was taught how to use a cylinder responsibly, how to deal with a regulator explosion or gas leak, and use electrical switches safely.
“Now I know how to douse the fire related to cylinder leak and short-circuit. I now feel confident about dealing with fire-related situations,” she said.
training them
“Once they are clear about the causes, they are taught ways to control it. Harita Mehta of Meher Charitable Trust said, “We will make sure that after their training, women are able to conduct regular check-ups in their groups.
The NGO, in coordination with DFS, plans to reach out to women through residential welfare associations in all JJ clusters across the city.
“We are focusing on the resources available at home including sand and water. We are also planning to provide fire extinguishers to women in JJ colonies.