As Ludhiana gears up for Diwali, its fire department finds itself grappling with a pressing concern — a shortage of drivers to operate its fleet of fire tenders at a time when emergency calls are expected to surge. Armed with 29 fire tenders spread across six fire stations, the department has just 18 drivers on its payroll, prompting it to seek 20 additional drivers from the municipal corporation to keep its emergency response machinery running round the clock.
The manpower crunch has cast a shadow over the department’s festive preparedness, particularly as the use of firecrackers heightens the risk of fire incidents across the city.
The scale of the challenge is evident from last year’s figures. The department received around 60 fire calls on Diwali night alone, apart from approximately 200 calls in the days leading up to and following the festival. The anticipated rush this year has brought the shortage of drivers into sharper focus, as timely intervention can make a crucial difference in containing fires.
Assistant divisional fire officer Jaswinder Singh said the department had approached the civic body for 20 additional drivers to strengthen its operational capacity during the festival.
“As part of its preparedness plan, the department intends to position four fire tenders at strategic locations across the city to ensure a swifter response to emergencies. The locations are being identified through an assessment of areas considered particularly vulnerable to fire incidents,” Jaswinder said.
“Last year, three fire tenders were deployed at Jalandhar Bypass, Verka Chowk and Samrala Chowk to cut down response times during the festive rush,” he added.
While the proposed deployment is aimed at bringing firefighting resources closer to vulnerable areas, the availability of drivers remains critical to putting the plan into action.
