All ‘fired’ up to tackle Coronavirus
By Vedika Jain
Colaba Fire Station’s firemen are a calm, yet alert lot much like their counterparts across the city. And now, on the thirteenth day of the nationwide lockdown, an audit reveals the department has undertaken substantial measures to support the civic authorities, police department, essential service providers, specifically, and the residents, in general. Their work in the time of the lockdown notwithstanding, it's the crowding by local 'lane leaders' and 'galli workers' that form stumbling blocks.
Since the beginning of the lockdown, besides the stress of preparedness for an emergency or unforeseen situation, Colaba Fire Station personnel have been braving several odds to keep the residents safe and protected. This, while, all the time quelling their own families’ fears for safety amid the deadly Coronavirus outbreak, as they leave for work to SoBo every day.
“We have staff coming from far and beyond, from even beyond Mumbai all the way to Colaba, for duty. And, everyone has been coming diligently, without fail without a break,” says Leading Fireman Avinash More. Vasant Deshwal, who has been working with the department for 28 years now, travels all the way from Badlapur where he lives with a joint family. In the absence of local train service, he commutes by buses plying essential service providers to and from work. “It takes me a good three hours to reach Colaba as I take the bus earmarked for hospital and police staff. My wife and other family members worry about me all the time,” he explains. And, like Deshwal are a few others who travel all the way from Kalyan all the way to downtown Colaba Fire Station.
To eliminate the six-plus hour travel routine that employees need to undertake, even amid the lockdown and traffic imbroglio, to and from work that the department has changed the work schedule for the firemen at all stations across Mumbai. “We are now working on 24-hour shifts instead of the regular 8-hour one since the lockdown. So, we stay at the station itself for a day and then return home to rest for two days,” maintains Mr More, a resident of Mazgaon sympathising with his colleagues.
“These are difficult times and it’s important for everyone to behave responsibly for themselves and for the safety of essential service providers like us,” continues Mr More, a veteran having completed 29 years in service in April 2020. The department is arranging for lodging and boarding for its staff during these long shifts.
The firemen deputed at Colaba Fire Station are a lot prepared for all adversities. The MCGM also provided the staff with gloves and masks for their safety particularly during operations. “At present, the Colaba Fire Station has 15 personnel on duty. The station has one fire engine and one water tanker or ‘jumbo’ tanker with a holding capacity of 16,000 litre water,” explains Assistant Divisional Fire Officer K D Ghadigaonkar.
In the initial days, post the lockdown, the fire department provided vehicles for spraying disinfectant in the area. Residents must have noticed red ‘fire’ vans with hose pipes and firemen spraying the disinfectant liquid in the residential areas to contain the spread of the deadly virus. The fire department was covering the main roads in the area.
“We follow a pre-fixed schedule to spray disinfectant in pre-specified areas. However, during such operations, people, including local politicians, leaders and political party workers would gather around the vehicle, to take photographs and selfies for social media, etc. Despite clear instructions of the lockdown prohibiting any public gathering, violations were seen.
Consequentially, starting 1 April 2020, the MCGM Pest Control department has been carrying out the operation in residential areas in their respective wards instead of the fire vehicles. Our services are now being used only for hospital areas,” maintains Mr Ghadigaonkar.
According to Assistant Divisional Fire Officer P A Sawant, “The public refuses to cooperate in these circumstances. When a vehicle goes in a residential area, often, the locals all ‘political party workers’ gather around it creating a hurdle in the work being done. Also, in congested areas where the hose pipe has to be kept straight, the job becomes difficult with the obstacles and hurdles.” He concurs with his colleagues that “despite the fixed schedule handed down by the main authorities, local political party workers intervene and try and change things such as the schedule, area to be sprayed, etc., to suit their convenience.”
Colaba doesn’t have a Quick Response Vehicle (QRV) as BMC A Ward already has four fire stations - Colaba, Fort, Nariman Point and Indra Dock - allowing good coverage and a faster response time. QRVs are provided to areas that are inaccessible and crowded areas with narrow pathways. That said, the firemen carrying out operations in Colaba which houses massive crowds, there is a huge risk.
Senior Station Officer at Colaba Fire Station S B Bhosale expresses concerns for his men and says, “Every political leader wants the work done in their respective area first making carrying out the operation difficult at times. And, during such operations when people don’t cooperate, it increases the work of firemen, thus increasing the risks for them as well.” It is the misbehaviour of local leaders and residents sometimes that endangers the lives of those to be protected in the first place.
For now, the BMC Pest Control department has taken charge of spraying disinfectants to avoid the gathering of people. Yet, The Draft Colaba has noticed that almost always, locals land up tagging along with the BMC personnel carrying out the spraying for photo opportunities, etc., thereby defeating the very purpose of social distancing and appear to derive political and media mileage out of the very exercise.
The firemen stationed at Colaba Fire Station face immense trouble and risk every day to protect Colabakars – transportation problems, high risk of contracting Covid19 during travel or at duty, staying away from families at such crucial times, battling sleep and hunger. The least the residents can go is to cooperate and ensure the discipline, peace and ‘social distancing’ is maintained during operations carried out by public authorities including the fire department.
Colaba Fire Station’s firemen are a calm, yet alert lot much like their counterparts across the city. And now, on the thirteenth day of the nationwide lockdown, an audit reveals the department has undertaken substantial measures to support the civic authorities, police department, essential service providers, specifically, and the residents, in general. Their work in the time of the lockdown notwithstanding, it's the crowding by local 'lane leaders' and 'galli workers' that form stumbling blocks.
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| Fire Department personnel on duty at Colaba Fire Station |
Since the beginning of the lockdown, besides the stress of preparedness for an emergency or unforeseen situation, Colaba Fire Station personnel have been braving several odds to keep the residents safe and protected. This, while, all the time quelling their own families’ fears for safety amid the deadly Coronavirus outbreak, as they leave for work to SoBo every day.
“We have staff coming from far and beyond, from even beyond Mumbai all the way to Colaba, for duty. And, everyone has been coming diligently, without fail without a break,” says Leading Fireman Avinash More. Vasant Deshwal, who has been working with the department for 28 years now, travels all the way from Badlapur where he lives with a joint family. In the absence of local train service, he commutes by buses plying essential service providers to and from work. “It takes me a good three hours to reach Colaba as I take the bus earmarked for hospital and police staff. My wife and other family members worry about me all the time,” he explains. And, like Deshwal are a few others who travel all the way from Kalyan all the way to downtown Colaba Fire Station.
 |
| Vasant Deshwal commutes from Badlapur to Colaba Fire Station for work |
To eliminate the six-plus hour travel routine that employees need to undertake, even amid the lockdown and traffic imbroglio, to and from work that the department has changed the work schedule for the firemen at all stations across Mumbai. “We are now working on 24-hour shifts instead of the regular 8-hour one since the lockdown. So, we stay at the station itself for a day and then return home to rest for two days,” maintains Mr More, a resident of Mazgaon sympathising with his colleagues.
 |
| Leading Fireman Avinash More |
“These are difficult times and it’s important for everyone to behave responsibly for themselves and for the safety of essential service providers like us,” continues Mr More, a veteran having completed 29 years in service in April 2020. The department is arranging for lodging and boarding for its staff during these long shifts.
The firemen deputed at Colaba Fire Station are a lot prepared for all adversities. The MCGM also provided the staff with gloves and masks for their safety particularly during operations. “At present, the Colaba Fire Station has 15 personnel on duty. The station has one fire engine and one water tanker or ‘jumbo’ tanker with a holding capacity of 16,000 litre water,” explains Assistant Divisional Fire Officer K D Ghadigaonkar.
 |
| The Quick Response Vehicle spraying disinfectant in a residential area of Colaba |
In the initial days, post the lockdown, the fire department provided vehicles for spraying disinfectant in the area. Residents must have noticed red ‘fire’ vans with hose pipes and firemen spraying the disinfectant liquid in the residential areas to contain the spread of the deadly virus. The fire department was covering the main roads in the area.
“We follow a pre-fixed schedule to spray disinfectant in pre-specified areas. However, during such operations, people, including local politicians, leaders and political party workers would gather around the vehicle, to take photographs and selfies for social media, etc. Despite clear instructions of the lockdown prohibiting any public gathering, violations were seen.
 |
| A fireman spraying disinfectant |
Consequentially, starting 1 April 2020, the MCGM Pest Control department has been carrying out the operation in residential areas in their respective wards instead of the fire vehicles. Our services are now being used only for hospital areas,” maintains Mr Ghadigaonkar.
According to Assistant Divisional Fire Officer P A Sawant, “The public refuses to cooperate in these circumstances. When a vehicle goes in a residential area, often, the locals all ‘political party workers’ gather around it creating a hurdle in the work being done. Also, in congested areas where the hose pipe has to be kept straight, the job becomes difficult with the obstacles and hurdles.” He concurs with his colleagues that “despite the fixed schedule handed down by the main authorities, local political party workers intervene and try and change things such as the schedule, area to be sprayed, etc., to suit their convenience.”
Colaba doesn’t have a Quick Response Vehicle (QRV) as BMC A Ward already has four fire stations - Colaba, Fort, Nariman Point and Indra Dock - allowing good coverage and a faster response time. QRVs are provided to areas that are inaccessible and crowded areas with narrow pathways. That said, the firemen carrying out operations in Colaba which houses massive crowds, there is a huge risk.
Senior Station Officer at Colaba Fire Station S B Bhosale expresses concerns for his men and says, “Every political leader wants the work done in their respective area first making carrying out the operation difficult at times. And, during such operations when people don’t cooperate, it increases the work of firemen, thus increasing the risks for them as well.” It is the misbehaviour of local leaders and residents sometimes that endangers the lives of those to be protected in the first place.
 |
| (From left) Assistant Divisional Fire Officers K D Ghadigaonkar, P A Sawant and Senior Station Officer S B Bhosale at Colaba Fire Station |
For now, the BMC Pest Control department has taken charge of spraying disinfectants to avoid the gathering of people. Yet, The Draft Colaba has noticed that almost always, locals land up tagging along with the BMC personnel carrying out the spraying for photo opportunities, etc., thereby defeating the very purpose of social distancing and appear to derive political and media mileage out of the very exercise.
The firemen stationed at Colaba Fire Station face immense trouble and risk every day to protect Colabakars – transportation problems, high risk of contracting Covid19 during travel or at duty, staying away from families at such crucial times, battling sleep and hunger. The least the residents can go is to cooperate and ensure the discipline, peace and ‘social distancing’ is maintained during operations carried out by public authorities including the fire department.
#ColabaFightsCorona | #Colaba #FireStation’s firemen are a calm, yet alert lot. Their work during the lockdown notwithstanding, it's the crowding by local 'lane leaders' and 'galli workers' that form stumbling blocks#TheDraftColaba #Covid19 @prabhatfirehttps://t.co/zUYBkmBN1n— The Draft Colaba (@TheDraftColaba) April 6, 2020
