SHILLONG: With the recent devastating church fire, the Fire service department has urged the owners of heritage buildings to install minimum fire safety measures.
A senior official said that the alert was given through the East Khasi Hills deputy commissioner to all the owners of heritage buildings.
The official also added that since it is a dry season there should be proper care.
“We used to send advisories to the people to be cautious during winter to prevent fire incidents”, the official added.
According to the official, the inquiry into the cause of church fire at Qualapatty was on and the probe team will also examine whether the church had fire alarm system and smoke detectors.
The church was under repair and the investigation will also look into any lapses on the part of people who were carrying out the renovation.
Costly equipment
The Fire service department lacks modern equipment to deal with the fire incidents. “Rs 1 lakh is needed to purchase a fire resistant uniform, hence we are using minimum fire resistant suits”, the official added.
Manpower limitations
Moreover, the manpower is limited to 788 for both eastern (Khasi Hills) and western (Garo Hills) ranges while the requirement is over 2000 personnel.
“Expansion of fire tenders in all the districts is under consideration”, the official added.
There are only 105 fire tenders in both eastern and western arranges and the last purchase of vehicles was in 2013.
“We have submitted proposals for uniforms, vehicles and equipment”, the official added.
