The Corona Virus Disease has quickly become a worldwide pandemic and has already resulted in

almost 1,70,000 deaths. Started in the Wuhan district of China, the outbreak quickly spread in India
and is now running rampant affecting almost 6000 Indian citizens. Respiratory transmission and
contact transmission have been identified as the two major ways in which the virus spreads. The
nature of the spread of virus has limited the capabilities of several infrastructures of the government
and has put the economy on a gradual slowdown. As of now the best possible solution has been
identified as social distancing and self-isolation. Process is underway to enforce this quarantine by
the government and so far, India has done a good job at containing the virus outbreak.

Cases liken this remind us of all the things and services we took for granted and have since then
begun appreciating them even more. Hospital staff and workers are working day and night to care
for and heal the affected people, but appreciation also needs to be given to those who are
compromising their own safety and health to help safeguard us from this deadly virus that is the
Indian Police and Fire Services.

Fire services throughout the world have risen up to provide help in any manner they can. In London,
almost 20 % of the Police and Emergency medical force are reporting signs of illness and have to be
sent on necessary leave and self-quarantine. This has led to a shortage of not only staff required for
policing the lockdown in the UK but also a lack of paramedic professionals. The London Fire Brigade
has stepped up to the occasion by providing their trained EMS and Paramedic staff to help out the
London Ambulance Service but has also provided drivers and technical staff needed to man the
several unused ambulances. This shows the readiness and adaptability that members of the fire
services have in order to give up their safety to provide service to the people.

Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath has recently inaugurated 56 fire tenders, which will be used for
sanitization work amid the coronavirus threat. A fire department official commented while
addressing the event that the fire department was provided with Rs. 30 crores from which they have
placed an order for fire brigades worth Rs. 20 crores along with specialized equipment including
Hydraulic Combination tools, chemical and HAZMAT suits etc. Currently there are 254 fire stations
who are spraying Sodium Hydrochloride in 75 districts which helps in decontamination and
sanitation of the surroundings by killing airborne bacteria and microorganisms. Other state fire
services like Delhi and Haryana have also repurposed several of their fire tenders for
decontamination and disinfection work.

It is important to notice that though the number of fire incidents have relatively decreased amidst
the lockdown period, they have in no manner completely stopped. This provides for the perspective
as to how a fire service has to function while maintaining proper social distancing and safety
precautions. A fire which broke out at the Vulcan cold forge in Gurugram was tackled admirably by
the fire service despite the lockdown. A senior fire official has stated that they have upgraded their
response matrix on how they approach fire and EMS calls. For the time being they are sending the
minimum number of personnel required with additional help on standby. He also mentioned that
the on-duty crew has to don proper PPEs while attending EMS calls. “PPE for COVID-19 is a
disposable gown to stop droplet transmission to our duty uniforms, gloves to prevent germ
transmission to our hands, eye protection to prevent droplets entering our eyes and mucous
membranes, and a NIOSH-approved N95 respirator for respiratory protection. If there is low
suspicion of infection, then this level of PPE is not needed.” Said the Official. The fire tenders are
being regularly cleaned by viricidal solutions for decontamination purposes.

These practices are being followed throughout the different fire services in India along with special
emphasis on shift management and reduction of risk associated with possible contamination. But
these are overwhelming times and we as responsible citizens have the duty to help these brave men
and women by rewarding their selfless acts by providing our moral support and encouragement.