In line with the government’s fire safety policy, the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) is all set to upgrade its fire and emergency service wing with fireballs- ultra-modern equipment that automatically explodes with an extreme rise in room temperature to disperse non-toxic chemicals to extinguish raging blazes.
The MBMC plans to purchase 2,700 fireball extinguishers (1400 no’s of 2 kg and 1300 no’s of 1 kg) through the Govt. e-Marketplace (GeM), a one-stop portal to facilitate online procurement of goods.
The average price of each fireball is pegged at around Rs. 8,500. “These fireballs are not only easy to use requiring minimal training as it can be thrown like a grenade immediately after reaching the site of the fire, but it can also replace the traditional fire extinguisher cylinders which are heavy to carry and slightly more complicated.” said chief fire officer- Dr Prakash Borade.
A major advantage of the fireball is that it is automatic and explodes if the room temperature goes above 65 to 75 degrees Celsius. The noise is approximately 138 decibels while dispersing a mixture of non-toxic mono-ammonium phosphate that helps in controlling the blaze faster than usual and without adding more pollution.
“Apart from keeping these sophisticated and portable fireballs handy with the firefighting team, we will install them in our schools, libraries, hospitals, covid care centres and other civic properties.” said deputy civic chief- Maruti Gaikwad.
The MBMC has six fire stations which are equipped with 11 fire tenders, two turntable ladders and two water tankers in its fleet to cover an area of 79.4 square km.
The MBMC gets an average of 200 fire-related calls per month-most related to electric short circuits.
Fire-Balls in Pvt. Schools:
“The delay in preventive action at the early stage of fire leads to further spread. But these lightweight fireballs can cut down that precious time and minimize damage. We will also insist the management of private educational institutions and establishments which witness gatherings to install the system in their premises.” said MBMC chief- Dilip Dhole.
