Bengal fire services have added 226 new fire tenders to their fleet, including three 36-metre articulating water towers, while the state has announced the recruitment of 1,400 personnel for its fire and emergency services department.
The vehicles were flagged off from Red Road on Wednesday afternoon in the presence of chief minister Suvendu Adhikari, minister of state for fire and emergency services Kaushik Chowdhury, director-general Anuj Sharma and other senior officials, The Telegraph reported.
The new fleet includes 198 mid-sized water tenders, each with a capacity of 2.5 kilolitres, and 25 water tenders with a capacity of 6 kilolitres. The three articulating water towers can reach a height of 36 metres and are a new addition to the department’s fleet.
The vehicles were procured at a total cost of ₹94 crore, according to sources cited in the report. With the addition of the 198 mid-sized water tenders, the department’s fleet of such vehicles has increased to 358. The number of mounted pumps has risen to 212.
The new tenders will be deployed at fire stations across Bengal, particularly in densely populated areas, markets, industrial zones and other important urban and semi-urban locations, a fire department official said. The deployment is intended to strengthen the department’s capacity in areas where narrow streets, concentrated activity and taller buildings can complicate emergency response.
The articulating water towers are expected to be particularly useful in fighting fires in high-rise buildings, officials said. Their 36-metre reach gives the department an additional firefighting option when flames or occupants are located above the working height of conventional equipment.
The recruitment drive will cover fire operators, fire engine operators, engine operator-cum-drivers and sub-officers, Adhikari said. The announcement expands the department’s response plan beyond equipment procurement by adding personnel for operating vehicles, managing emergency scenes and supporting fire stations.
The fleet expansion comes after a recent hotel fire on Free School Street in Kolkata in which nine people were killed and several others were injured. Referring to that incident, Adhikari said the hotel authorities had kept the exit gate locked because they feared guests would leave without clearing their dues.
The incident has also brought attention to the relationship between fire response and building-level safety. Fire tenders and trained personnel can improve emergency intervention, but evacuation depends on accessible exits, compliance with safety requirements and the ability of occupants to leave buildings quickly. The state’s latest announcement addresses response capacity through new vehicles and recruitment; the report did not provide details of any separate enforcement measures linked to the hotel fire.
The new vehicles will now be distributed among fire stations across the state, with priority given to locations identified by the department as densely populated, commercially active, industrial or otherwise important urban and semi-urban areas.
