When the Capital is illuminated with lights and families spend time together on Deepavali, firefighters at the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) face a stiff challenge amid long working hours, responding to fire-related emergencies.
It’s been over a decade since Nitin Lohchab, the DFS officer, spent Deepavali with his family in Haryana. As a first responder with the fire services, Mr. Lohchab has spent the past 11 years in his firefighting suit, navigating through heavy traffic to reach fire scenes and responding to phone calls from people on the night of the festival of lights.
With the festival round the corner, Mr Lohchab recalled that in his first year at DFS, he could not keep track of the day. “Hours had just slipped away in picking calls and navigating traffic,” Mr. Lohchab said.
He predicted that the number of fire-related phone calls could rise this year after the Supreme Court lifted the blanket ban on the sale and purchase of firecrackers. “”In previous years, there was some level of ban. But this year, with green crackers being allowed, the sale of firecrackers has been rampant,” he said.
Preparedness
