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Journalism of Courage
Six months after firemen rescued survivors holed up inside the Taj Hotel during the 26/11 terror attack,the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is set to purchase advanced safety gear called Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). The special head to toe equipment is capable of guarding firemen in a raging fire.
The civic administration has tabled a proposal with the Standing Committee to purchase the safety gear at the cost of more than Rs 29 crore. The PPE includes a jacket,trousers,t-shirt with hood,belt,harness,axe,hand gloves,boots and torch battery and costs around Rs 79,000 each. All the 2,320 firemen employed with the fire brigade will be equipped with this kit.
Despite demand from the firemen,the proposal has been in administrative limbo for more than two years. The issue finally came to light when firemen complained on rescuing the survivors at Taj Hotel without any protective equipment. Around 650 survivors were rescued when terrorists took over the heritage hotel and even set the different parts of the structure on fire.
The firemen currently use tunic,pant,helmet and gumboots which were designed by the British government more than 100 years ago. A number of firemen have been injured while dousing fire due to the lack of any proper protective gear. This gear will enable firemen tolerate fire for upto two hours without suffering burns.
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