Nagpur: Emphasising the need to bolster emergency response systems in line with the city’s rapid expansion, mayor Nita Thakre on Monday said the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) will further strengthen its fire and emergency services department. She was speaking at a National Fire Service Day programme organised at NMC headquarters on Tuesday.Paying tribute to firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty, the mayor said the civic body has prepared a master plan to establish 22 fire stations across the city to improve response time and coverage. Currently, the city has 12 fire stations, which are being managed by a manpower of 120 against a sanctioned strength of 872. She also underlined the need to address manpower shortages through fresh recruitment to make the department more robust.The event was attended by deputy mayor Leela Hathibed, standing committee chairperson Shivani Dani-Wakhare, leader of opposition Sanjay Mahakalkar, municipal commissioner Vipin Itankar and other senior officials and corporators.Earlier, the mayor and municipal commissioner paid floral tributes to Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar on his birth anniversary at the NMC headquarters. They also honoured the memory of fallen firefighters by laying wreaths at a memorial.A ceremonial parade by fire personnel from Cotton Market, Lakadganj and Trimurti Nagar fire stations was held, followed by a demonstration of emergency response drills under the leadership of chief fire officer Tushar Barahate. The drills included tactical middle operations, turntable ladder (TTL) exercises, oil fire response, water jet demonstrations and a 32-metre hydraulic platform operation, drawing attention from attendees.The civic body also screened a documentary highlighting the bravery and sacrifices of firefighters at both national and city levels.Families of martyred firefighters Gulabrao Kawale, Prabhu Kuhikar and Ramesh Thakre were felicitated with shawls, mementoes and saplings as a mark of respect. In addition, several fire department personnel and staff were recognised for their exemplary service during emergencies, particularly for rescuing citizens during heavy rains and disasters. They were awarded certificates and felicitated by the mayor for their contribution to public safety.
