Directorate of Fire & Emergency Services on Monday countered the news item published in an Urdu daily about the deficiency of 100 fore tenders in Jammu and Kashmir.

While issuing a rebuttal here today by the department stated that the figures have wrongly been projected while carrying out the news item.

In this regard, the department has clarified that during last 6 years 486 deaths have not caused exclusively due to fire incidents. Out of these, only 82 deaths have been reported in fire incidents while the remaining 404 deaths have been reported in anti-terrorist operations/ encounters, vehicular and other accidents besides suicidal deaths in which Fire & Emergency Services attended for search and rescue operations, added the department.

The document added that the department of Fire & Emergency Services is presently spread over 180 Fire & Emergency Stations where Fire Tenders and other fire fighting appliances and equipment are deployed/ commissioned as per the requirements/ norms laid down by SFAC, Union Ministry of Home Affairs, which promptly and efficiently responds to each and every fire call.

It is because of such effective, prompt, efficient response and continuous fire safety awareness programmes being conducted regularly since August, 2022 that the number of fire incidents decreased by 23% in 2023 as against the fire incidents in the corresponding year 2022 besides saving precious lives and public property worth crores, addedthe rebuttal.
Moreover, it said that so far the department has conducted about 4636 fire safety awareness programmes in which 593449 persons have been imparted first aid fire safety training to act as first responders in case of any emergency.

To upgrade efficiency and further strengthen the capability of Fire & Emergency Services in J&K, the department has shown the further requirement of 100 Fire Tenders to upgrade and enhance the existing fleet, the statement added.(