Delhi Fire Services to buy new skylifts after Palam fire
Following a deadly fire in Delhi where rescue equipment failed, the Delhi Fire Services is procuring new high-reach ladders. An inquiry revealed that technical snags and poor training hindered the rescue operation during the March incident.
Why it matters
This highlights critical infrastructure and training gaps in urban emergency response systems in densely populated cities.
Five months after a Bronto Skylift became entangled in overhead cables and banners during a rescue operation at a deadly fire in southwest Delhi’s Palam, the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) is set to place orders for new high-reach rescue ladders.
“We have finalised the bids for 90-metre, 70-metre and 40-metre variants and will be placing the order before August 31. The delivery is expected to take about 14-16 months after the order is placed,” a department official said.
The move follows the March 18 fire in a four-storey building in which nine members of a family, including three children and a 70-year-old woman, were killed. The fire broke out early in the morning and spread rapidly through the residential floors. Taking suo motu cognisance of the deaths, the National Human Rights Commission noted that the fire brigade’s hydraulic crane had reportedly developed a technical snag, delaying the rescue operation.
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