Himachal CM flags off 21 vehicles for Fire Department

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh), July 8 (ANI): The Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Jairam Thakur flagged off 21 vehicles for the Fire Department at the Ridge Maidan in Shimla on Friday.
A total of 21 vehicles worth Rs 7.64 crore have been deployed to serve at different places in the state.

These vehicles are equipped with the latest technology. They can be used in rescue operations and they will also play a major role in controlling the fire.
"To save lives, to save public property, it is necessary that we improve our fire brigade system," he said.
A total of 18 chowkis (outposts) have also been set up along with three fire stations in the state.
In the span of four years, a provision of 41 new vehicles worth Rs 12 crore 80 lakh has been made for the fire brigade department.
He claimed that this is the first time in the history of Himachal Pradesh that such a big addition has been made to the fire brigade department.
The CM also announced 158 ranks for firemen and 82 posts for drivers and pump operators.
Commending the fire brigade for their tireless efforts at saving lives while risking their own, Jairam Thakur said that over 1,395 lives and properties worth Rs 5,000 have effectively been saved, preventing major losses to fire incidents that have occurred in the state in the last four years.
Addressing the plight of far-flung fire stations, Jairam Thakur says that the problem is being addressed by building more stations and sub-stations in order to minimise the time taken by firemen to reach the emergency spot.
"Earlier, the fire brigade was stationed at faraway junctions. Till the fire brigade would reach the emergency-hit area, the entire village would be up in flames. To aid such situations, we are going to open more fire stations and sub-stations at different checkpoints so that when a fire breaks out, it is contained within 30-40 minutes," he said. (ANI)