The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) plans to add 22 quick-response fire vehicles to its fleet to improve firefighting and rescue operations in high-rise buildings and congested neighbourhoods, civic officials said on Monday. The Rs60 crore expansion will include 70-metre and 90-metre aerial platforms, turntable ladder vehicles and compact fire tenders for narrow lanes.
PCMC fire brigade chief and deputy municipal commissioner Vyankatesh Durvas said the civic body currently operates 51 vehicles, including 18 fire tenders. Its existing aerial ladder platform can reach 54 metres, allowing direct access to around 17 floors and supporting firefighting at greater heights depending on a building’s design and access conditions.
The proposed higher platforms are being planned in response to the growth of 25- to 30-storey buildings and the city’s rising population. One 70-metre aerial platform and one 90-metre aerial platform are proposed for procurement. The vehicles are intended to provide access to upper floors during fires and rescue operations where conventional equipment may not be sufficient.
The planned fleet upgrade will also include 32-metre and 55-metre turntable ladder, or TTL, fire vehicles equipped with lifts. Durvas said the lifts would allow firefighters to carry out faster rescues when residents are stranded on upper floors. The proposal also includes a fire education van and compact fire tenders with a 2,500-litre capacity.
The smaller tenders are intended for narrow lanes and congested gaothan areas, where larger firefighting vehicles may face difficulty reaching an incident. This would expand the fleet’s ability to respond across both newly developed high-rise areas and older, densely built neighbourhoods.
PCMC has earmarked Rs60 crore for the vehicle purchases in its current annual budget. The tender process was delayed because of the model code of conduct imposed for legislative council elections and is expected to begin in November, according to the fire brigade. Specialised vehicles could take about a year to arrive because they are manufactured in Europe.
The proposal follows a fire reported on September 18 at Ganeshm Phase 2 society in Pimple Saudagar, where two girls were stranded in a flat after an alleged refrigerator compressor blast. Following the incident, BJP city president and local corporator Shatrughna Kate wrote to the municipal commissioner seeking 50-metre and 90-metre hydraulic ladders, safety audits of firefighting equipment and publication of fire-audit reports for housing societies.
The next formal step is the launch of the tender process in November, after which procurement and manufacturing timelines will determine when the specialised vehicles are added to the PCMC fleet.
