Mumbai Fire Brigade plans to set up back-up command centre

To create a backup for its integrated common and control centre, the Mumbai Fire Brigade has planned to set up a disaster recovery site which will be a mirror image of its existing control room in Borivali. The brigade’s existing state-of-the-art integrated command and control system comprising vehicle tracking system and distress call management based on GIS (Geographic Information System) and GPS (Global Positioning System) operates out of Byculla.

According to officials from the fire brigade, the second integrated control room will serve as back-up to keep its emergency response services running even in case of non-availability of the main site at Byculla. “In case, the Byculla main control becomes non-operational due to a disaster or failure, the proposed disaster site will act as the main data centre. It is important to ensure that the fire brigade system is not crippled in the event of an emergency. The government of Maharashtra has mandated a backup control room for public safety projects,” an officer of the Birhanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), said.

He added, “On an average, the fire brigade receives about 17,000 types of calls in a year, including about 5,000 calls related to fire incidents.”

The existing set-up has been functional for more than two years. The BMC has initiated the process of finalising the contractor. Currently, the fire brigade has 35 fire stations, 19 mini fire stations and a fleet of 254 vehicles.