Guidelines stipulate that petrol pumps only need to be equipped with 5-10 kg fire extinguisher cylinders and sand buckets to tackle a fire mishap. But the situation in Vasco is worrisome as none of the petrol pumps in the port town have fire hydrants installed at its locations
Petrol pumps are among the most inflammable installations in a city or a village, yet present guidelines stipulate that petrol pumps only need to be equipped with 5-10 kg fire extinguisher cylinders and sand buckets to tackle a fire mishap.
This is the current situation prevailing in virtually all petrol pumps in the State’s industrial capital at Vasco, a major location for the many petrol pumps all across the port town. A major fire destroyed a petrol pump in Mapusa on February 27, 2012 and the government had plans to shift all petrol from the heart of the city to the outskirts of the city to avoid any major disaster which could lead to loss of innocent human lives.
However, lessons have not been learnt from the Mapusa fire mishap and all petrol pumps are still based in and around the city.
But what is more worrisome is the fact that none of these petrol pumps have fire hydrants installed at its location.
All that petrol pumps need to have ~ as per guidelines of the company and the fire and explosives department at Pune ~ that 5-10 kg fire extinguisher cylinders and sand buckets to tackle any untoward situation. Locals have been left to wonder if these meagre fire safety kits are adequate to withstand a fire at a petrol pump.
There is another major cause that is unique to Vasco. A petrol pump is situated near the HPCL tanks and in the event of a major disaster at the petrol pump, the fire could easily spread to the tanks with catastrophic consequences.
When contacted, Vasco Fire Station In-charge Francisco Mendes informed that all petrol pumps, as per the guidelines, are equipped with fire extinguishers and sand buckets to take care of any eventualities. “However, these are only first-aid equipments and cannot tackle a major fire. These fire extinguishers and sand can be used at the initial stage of the fire. But in case the fire spreads then fire tenders need to be deployed at the site,” said Mendes.The fire flares up immediately only if it comes in contact with petrol and it’s a rare case,” Mendes added.
