Risking his life: Tale of a fireman's daily routine

On Friday morning, the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) sent in three fire tenders and 10 fire officials, including a couple of their best firefighters, Hari Om and Hari Singh Meena, to Vikaspuri. They thought the fire that had broken out was a small one and would be taken care of within an hour.

However, as the firefighters reached the shop and tried to pry open its shutter, a gory surprise shook them as no one had informed the fire services that four gas cylinders were stored inside the shop, one of which had caught fire.

Lack of information was what led to the disaster. "Nobody told us about those cylinders. There were two domestic and two commercial cylinders inside the shop. It was a small shop and we did not know that so many cylinders would be inside the shop. Nobody gave us that information," said Deputy Fire Chief, DFS, Atul Garg.

For many firefighters, their livelihood is a daily fight for their lives as they have to undertake dangerous rescue operations in high-rise buildings. Many a times, the firefighters are in the dark about the plans of the buildings and have to risk their way into regularly changing structures.

"We do not know about the plans of various buildings and venture unprepared into these buildings. We just have minutes to prepare the rescue and exit strategy and the buildings' structure constantly change. Ideally, a firefighter is not supposed to spend more than five minutes in these buildings but we take that leap of faith," said a firefighter, who wished to remained anonymous.

With the summer approaching, firefighters from DFS face the uphill task of putting out fires in various structures, from high-rises to slum clusters. However, the fire services are grappling with a severe staff crunch as they are currently operating with less than 50 percent staff capacity.

To bridge the gap, several firefighters have to extend their shifts, which are adequately compensated. "Everybody is given the standard 24 hour shift and rest the next day. Nobody is ever forced to extend their shifts. During Diwali, we are forced to extend our shifts but they are then given 48 hour rest period," Garg added.

However, there are some who feel that the 24 hour shift is still not adequate to undertake the challenging job of fire fighting.

"We undertake the shifts on sheer will power during the summers and Diwali. In the West, they are given 48 and sometimes 72 hours to rest. They also work out on intense strength training exercises, which allow them to carry heavy equipment up twenty- odd floors. Indian fire fighters do that with sheer will power," an anonymous firefighter added.