Rafiqul Islam Azad
Bangladesh Fire Brigade has only two modern ladders that could be used in dousing fire by throwing water up to 14-storey of a high rise building, according to sources in the Fire Brigade. Of the two Turning Table Ladders (TTL), the new one, brought from abroad two months ago, was used for the first time yesterday, along with old one, to extinguish the devastating fire at the Bashundhara City Mall, sources said.
The two high tech ladders took about eight hours of struggle by firemen and others to put out the fire.
The Fire Brigade has another ladder named ‘Snorkel’ that could defuse fire up to eight to 10 storied building, source said.
Bashundhara fire incident has raised question in the public mind that about the inadequacy and lack of modern equipment at the disposal of Bangladesh Fire Brigade to tame devastating fire in quickest possible time.
Earlier in 2007, the Fire Brigade had failed to put out fire quickly at the building housing private TV channels NTV, RTV, Islamic Television and vernacular daily Amar Desh at Kawran Bazar.
Director Operation of Fire Brigade Major Sheikh Shahjalal however, claimed that they could not douse the fire in the Basundhara Mall quickly as doors of the most of the rooms including the main gates were under lock and key due to holiday.
Talking to The New Nation, the Fire Brigade official said in other countries, there is self-depended protection system to deal with the fire that should be followed in Bangladesh also.
He said the fire safety system in the Bashundhara Mall could not function as the rooms of the high-rise building remained closed.
Courtesy of http://nation.ittefaq.com
