Kolkata’s fire department is preparing to make basic fire-safety training mandatory for puja organisers and volunteers, after repeated concerns that temporary festival venues often have extinguishers and water but lack people trained to use them during the first minutes of a blaze.
The proposed rule would require volunteers serving puja pandals to receive initial fire-response training from the fire station responsible for their area. Those volunteers would then train other members of their puja committees, according to information reported by Anandabazar – Kolkata. The measure is expected to cover all types of puja installations, including both authorised and unauthorised venues.
Fire Minister Kaushik Chowdhury said the department wanted to prevent fires from becoming large incidents before its teams arrived. “After a fire breaks out, the fire department performs a specific role. But we want to stop it before it assumes a large form,” he said, adding that many people did not know how to operate fire extinguishers even when the equipment was available.
The proposed training follows the recent death of a person in a hotel fire on Mirza Ghalib Street. Fire officials said the experience had reinforced the need for people present at a site to know how to respond immediately, rather than wait for emergency crews to reach the location.
Under the proposed system, local fire stations would teach puja volunteers the fundamentals of dealing with different kinds of fires. Officials said the appropriate response can vary depending on whether a fire is caused by an electrical short circuit, a chemical reaction or another source. The training is therefore intended to cover both the use of equipment and the basic methods required for different fire situations.
The department’s concern is linked to the particular risks of temporary festival infrastructure. Puja committees commonly install fire extinguishers, water arrangements and safety-awareness kiosks, but officials said the organisers themselves are often not trained to use the equipment. A delay in beginning suppression work can allow a small incident to grow before fire engines arrive.
The proposal was expected to receive formal approval at a special fire department meeting in New Town on Wednesday. The department estimates that around 10,000 Durga Puja venues, including permitted and unpermitted installations, will operate in Kolkata and its surrounding areas this year. That scale makes the training requirement a significant addition to the city’s festival-safety arrangements.
The department also indicated that the problem extends beyond puja venues. Offices and high-rise buildings may comply with fire-safety requirements and maintain firefighting equipment, but local occupants may not have the practical skills to operate it. Officials and others cited in the report have consequently argued that similar training should be made mandatory across a wider range of buildings and institutions.
The immediate next step is the fire department’s New Town meeting, where the proposed mandatory training requirement for puja organisers is expected to be formally considered.
