Tribune press service
Amritsar, April 20
Even as a number of mock fire safety drills and other events were held in the city during National Fire Safety Week, which ended on Wednesday, there is a feeling that many public institutions are poorly equipped and lack even basic fire safety equipment. .
While the drill simulations have helped employees learn the basics of using fire safety equipment where they are present, there is a need to equip all buildings with the required infrastructure.
Apart from the new buildings, the condition of the fire safety equipment of the old ones is poor. Various public places, including the bus stop and public hospitals, have worn out fire safety equipment, which would not be able to help in an emergency.

The water pipe and the pipes installed in these places are either missing or broken. Even the windows of fire alarm systems that must be broken in the event of a fire to trigger an alarm are already broken.
A visit to the civilian hospital revealed that water pipes and other materials were rusty. The same was observed at Government Medical College. Also at the bus stop, the boxes where the fire safety equipment is stored were empty.
Moreover, even as the Municipal Corporation’s fire wing claims to have all the necessary provisions to deal with fires, the fact that the walled old town has narrow, congested lanes, where firefighters cannot enter, is a great challenge.
Covering a vast area, the city’s fire station also responds to emergencies in the Tarn Taran district. Nearby towns also depend on it for help.
Meanwhile, the district administration held a mock drill at the municipality office on Wednesday. Later, Deputy Commissioner Harpreet Singh Sudan said that from now on, mock training exercises to deal with fires, earthquakes and floods would be held four times a year.