Fire fighters have no equipment

KOCHI: Are our fire fighters equipped to rescue people trapped on high rises? Even if the authorities claim that the Fire and Rescue Department has modern gadgets, the ground reality is that the department faces shortage of basic fire fighting machines in city. According to sources, the Ernakulam fire fighters don’t have  skylift to rescue and evacuate people trapped in the topmost floor. “The fact is that we even have a shortage of hydrants to fix the fires. Owing to the lack of skylifts, we still use ladders. There are no bleaching set to clear oxygen and  exhaust machines to clear smoke from the buildings on fire. Moreover, the heavy vehicles of the department cannot be taken to congested areas,” sources said.According to Joe Kuruvilla, senior officer of the department, the proposals for skylift and other new equipment have been sent to the higher officials. “We have sent the proposals for the skylift and a meeting has been called next week. The unit will be modernised soon,” Joe Kuruvilla said.