Soon, to alert the Fire Brigade, press button

Plans are afoot to install a wireless system in buildings, schools and malls, that will immediately alert the Fire Brigade to any emergency

 In order to drastically reduce the time taken for the Fire Brigade department to respond to emergencies, the BMC has decided to make a wireless disaster communication system (WDCS) mandatory in all residential buildings, shopping malls, hospitals and schools.
    The BMC has appointed Electronic Corporation of India (ECI), a public sector company, to work out the technicalities. The system will comprise an electronic box located in the building, which will be connected to the city's fire station network. The box will make it possible for residents of an affected building or locality to alert the fire brigade at the mere press of a button.
    N D Raut, head of the Mumbai Fire Brigade wireless department said, "When a button will be pressed, the control rooms at fire stations will receive information about the exact location of the disaster on a digital screen."
    Mayor Shubha Raul said that the system will certainly reduce time taken to locate a disaster site. "Often, the fire brigade receives information late, after which the search and rescue starts. But this system will solve that problem. Once a resident presses the button, firemen will receive detailed information of the address of the building, the secretary of the society and his cell number, along with phone numbers of other flat owners," she said. For this, the Fire Brigade will be collecting all the necessary data.
    The new system will also help in curbing hoax calls. The Fire Brigade estimates that of the 6,000-7,000 emergency calls they receive a year, 30 per cent are fake.
    "Presently, we receive fire calls on the number 101. But once this system is in place, we will keep 101 as a standby. Then, gradually, we will discontinue the number altogether," a fire official said.
    The estimated cost of the project is Rs 80 crore.

Once a resident presses the button, firemen will receive detailed information of the address of the building and his phone number