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This is an archive article published on October 26, 2021
Mumbai: To reach congested areas on time, Fire Brigade to soon add bikes to its fleet
Mumbai news: A proposal of Rs 3.15 crore, which includes procurement, assembling, maintenance and operation of fire bikes for next five years, will be tabled before the BMC’s Standing Committee for approval on Wednesday.
While the bikes will cost Rs 2.76 crore, the fire brigade will spend Rs 28.32 lakh on service and maintenance for five years. (Representative Image)
Mumbai Fire Brigade is all set to get fire bikes to ensure quick response and easy access to congested areas of the city. To start with, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will procure 24 fire bikes that will be inducted in the fire brigade’s fleet.
A proposal of Rs 3.15 crore, which includes procurement, assembling, maintenance and operation of fire bikes for next five years, will be tabled before the BMC’s Standing Committee for approval on Wednesday.
While the bikes will cost Rs 2.76 crore, the fire brigade will spend Rs 28.32 lakh on service and maintenance for five years. After a work order is issued, the contractor finalised for the project will be required to supply bikes to the force within two months. Another two months will be given for assembling the bikes.
“Fire bikes will prove crucial as they can help in quick response when fire breaks out. In Mumbai, fire engines often face delay due to traffic and narrow lanes when an incident is reported from slum or chawl areas. We will deploy these fire bikes at fire stations that cover densely populated areas. First few minutes of fire are very important as it can be prevented from spreading further if timely action is taken,” said a senior official from the fire brigade.
These bikes will be fitted with a fire tank, water pipe, hose reel and fire pumps. As soon as a call is made from a densely populated area, these fire bikes can be pressed into action immediately before fire engines and water tankers reach spot, the official added.
According to the officials, currently there are 35 fire stations and 18 mini fire stations under six fire command centers in Mumbai. There are more than 258 fire vehicles such as fire engines, jumbo water tanker and ladder vans with these centres, they added.
Officials said the tenders for the fire bikes were first floated in January 2020. However, the Fire Brigade had to extend deadlines 13 times since then as the outbreak of Covid-19 had delayed the entire process, they added.fire bro
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