The PWD water hydrant at the Vasco fire station is unable to provide adequate water supply to the fire tenders because it lacks the requisite pressure in the morning
If a fire happens to break out in your property in Vasco, be prepared to notify the PWD or a private water tanker before alerting the Vasco fire services.
This is because the fire tender at the Vasco fire station does not have uninterrupted access to water supply and its fire tenders struggle to refill water in times of an emergency.
Believe it or not, the PWD water hydrant installed at the Vasco fire station is unable to provide adequate water supply to the fire tenders simply because the hydrant lacks the requisite water pressure in the morning.
“It is surprising that the government, while inaugurating this fire office at Vasco, failed to construct a well and an overhead tank to store water during emergencies to fill the fire tenders,” remarked a source at the Vasco fire station.
According to the source, there are two firefighting tenders at the Vasco fire station and one Emergency Rescue Tender, which is used during monsoon to clear uprooted trees.
While one fire tender is used as a Multi-Purpose Firefighting unit with a water tank with a capacity of 3,500 litres, the other fire tender has a water tank capacity of 3,000 litres.
“The fire hydrant installed at the fire station is insufficient to cater to the fire services as it functions only in the morning and that too, with low pressure,” said the source.
“During emergencies, we have the embarrassing task of begging with private bore well operators to refill the fire tenders. To our luck, these bore well operators understand our difficulties and given the emergency, they lend us a helping hand.”
“If there is a power failure, the officers have to provide petrol to bore well operators as they use petrol-operated water pumps. Whenever the fire department calls up the PWD office to complain about the low pressure and availability of water only in the mornings, the PWD officials merely shrug and claim that they cannot do anything as the problem is faced by the entire Mormugao taluka and it is not within their reach to solve the problem,” the source added.
Speaking to Herald, Vasco Fire Station In-charge Francisco Mendes acknowledged that they have been facing problems to refill water in the fire tenders during emergencies and admitted that they have had to seek help from others. Mendes replied in the negative, when asked if he had brought the matter to the attention of his superiors.
When contacted for comments on the poor water refilling facilities at the Vasco fire station, Director of Fire Services Director, Ashok Menon stated the station officer should contact the PWD and find a solution to the problem.
Menon stated that the issue was not placed before him by concerned officers of the Vasco Fire Station.
When asked if the fire department can dig a well and construct an overhead tank to store and refill the fire tenders, Menon replied that the proposal should have come from the officers.
“The officers concerned should exploit all possible avenues and place it before the department to come out with a solution,” said Menon, but he added that he would contact the officer concerned to resolve the problem.
Meanwhile, MMC Chief Officer Agnelo Fernandes has offered to allow the refilling of fire tenders from the MMC well near the RTO office at Vasco.
