Mumbai:
Help continues to pour for the family of Nitin Ivalekar, the fireman who lost his life while fighting a blaze at a high-rise in Mumbai earlier this month. On Friday, the Fire Protection Association of India donated Rs 11 lakh to the Mr Ivalekar's family as a token of acknowledgement of his bravery.
"We have requested the government to set up an insurance of Rs 50 lakh for every fireman. Otherwise no fireman will be willing to take risks to protect others. We would also like to request all builders and societies to maintain their fire-fighting equipment so that firemen are not exposed to unnecessary risks," Nitin Shah, President of Fire Protection Association of India, told NDTV.
The association also held a condolence meeting for the 35-year-old brave fireman. His angry relatives had questioned authorities about his untimely death. Helicopters had to be called in to rescue firefighters, including Nitin Ivalekar, who were trapped on the top floors and the roof of the Lotus Business Park which caught fire on July 18.
A day later, Mr Ivalekar's body arrived at the Mumbai Fire Brigade headquarters at Byculla. His family refused to take it for cremation. They demanded a written assurance that they will receive compensation. That assurance came soon and the body was taken away by the family for last rites.
After Mr Ivalekar's death, the fire department had claimed that in case of a blaze in a high-rise, the building's own fire-fighting equipment has to work for the fire to be contained in time. "External measures are only a support system. It is imperative that the firefighting system of these buildings work," said S H Nesrikar, Deputy CFO of the Regional Command Centre of the Mumbai Fire Brigade, told NDTV.
But on that fateful day, the building's firefighting system had failed. Even the stairs were blocked making rescue operations even more difficult. And the glass shards from the glass facade of the building increased risks further. In this situation, while all civilians were evacuated, Mr Ivalekar lost his life.