October 1, 2019
Fire balls to help curb mishaps at Durga Pujo pandals
In a significant step towards enhancing the firefighting infrastructure in Bangla during Durga Pujo, the State Fire and Emergency Services Department officially launched fire balls at its headquarters on Mirza Ghalib Street recently.
The Department Minister, while launching the balls, said that these should ideally be kept at pujo pandals as they are effective in very narrow and congested places or in locked buildings where physical entry is extremely difficult.
Fire balls
The fire balls are extremely convenient in both size and usage. Each weighs between 1.3 and 1.5kg and contains a mixture of ammonium phosphate and ammonium sulphate. They need to be thrown at the source of fire. Within three to 10 seconds the balls will burst and extinguish the fire. Each ball costs Rs 3,600. The Department has bought a total of 2,000 fire balls.
Temporary fire stations
The Department will set up emergency fire units and 15 temporary fire stations, equipped with basic firefighting paraphernalia, near a few major Durga Pujo pandals across Kolkata and at a few places elsewhere. These will also spread a special message on steps to prevent fire accidents and necessary instructions to follow after a fire breaks out.
Source: Millennium Post, Bartaman
