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Saurav C
Welcome to BlazeMaster presents Fireside chat 2.0, our very own BlazeMaster chat for the year 2023. Over the years, buildings have changed, building materials have changed, and so has the fire hazard and fire occupancies. Who else will be a better person to talk on this than one of the key stalwarts of the industry who has been there for last 35 years. He has not only seen the change happen, but he was One of the persons who has made these changes. I am talking about Mr. Kiran Gawde, who had served as the Chief Fire Officer (CFO) and also the fire chief of Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation for almost 20 years. Welcome, sir.
Mr . Gawde
Thank you.
Saurav C
Tell us something more about yourself.
Mr . Gawde
Yeah. Well, I would like to say, I was one of the officers who had joined the municipal corporation in 1997. I had put in more than 35 years of service in the position of the HOD that is department head. As a chief fire officer of the municipal corporation. I had seen a revolutionary change not only in my life, not only in the way I work but equally with the municipal corporation also. Basically speaking, I was associated with civil defense as a volunteer through which I had entered into this particular field. In my college days, I was a part of the civil defense volunteer, wherein I had undergone some courses which were related to firefighting, warden, rescue operations, and other fields related to firefighting and disaster management. And through that, I had appeared for the examination, competitive examination through which I got the admission to a well renowned College in the Southeast Asia, which is known as the National Fire Service College, where I'd undergone a special course of the firefighting, and then it was an entry through which I had been a part of this emergency department, serving as a fire officer for the last 35 years.
Saurav C
Good to hear that. So 35 years is not a very short period. You must have seen a lot of paradigm shifts. Wwhether in terms of a small city growing into a big city like Pimpri Chinchwad, or whether a small industrial town with a handful of factories. Now becoming 1 of the Detroit of India. The biggest automobile hub, the biggest IT hub, and so many buildings and so many high rises in your city. What are the things, what are the paradigm shifts that you have seen in terms of fire protection, in terms of fire prevention in your jurisdiction?
Mr . Gawde
Well, I would like to bring to your notice that earlier, this Municipal Corporation, Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation and the Allied of some of the principal corporations within the regions were not so much known to the public as such. The Pimpri Chinchwad had come up like anything in recent years. It started with twin towns like Pimpri and Chinchwad. Both of the towns where the rural towns with all their rural inhabitants and everything. But special thing of the municipal corporation area was that as you know everybody, we had learned in our school days also, the penicillin factory from the Pimpri. And it was a turning point, and after years, some industries like Telco. Nowadays, which is called as the Tata Motors and other big industries like Bajaj Auto, Bajaj Tempos, which is called as Force Motors nowadays, and all other companies, Sandwick Asia, Alfa Laval, they had come up, and they had made this Pimpri Chinchwad municipal corporation turned from a village to a industrial town. Almost more than 25 years, this municipal corporation was being considered and was a big invincible corporation as a rechecked municipal corporation in Asia. But then again, there was a paradigm shift from the industrial town to a residential. Earlier, if you see the firefighting systems were just being considered as just a small fire extinguisher which is being fix on a wall and nothing more than that. But now, the entire firefighting system in this municipal corporations and especially in Pimpri Chinchwad municipal corporation area has now shifted from the general traditional firefighting equipment like fire extinguishers to very sophisticated equipment whether it is a fixed type, firefighting hydrant system, or a sprinkler system or smoke detection to our fire appliances from the fire tenders to the automatic or semi-automatic fire tenders which is called as water cannon.
Saurav C
Well CPVC is 1 of the replacements to metal because it's 6 to 8 times lighter and not only that, CPVC pipes do not corrode. So do you think, you know, a material which is better than metal will be a good thing for your team and your officers? Do you think Pune or Pimpri Chinchwad will be a safer place if they adapt to a new technology in the future?
Mr . Gawde
Earlier, metal was the only thing which we had in our hand. Since the technology is fast aheading, there’s tremendous development in the technology. So I don't think as such there is any problem to replace a MS or GI by the polymer sort of pipes. I don't find any problem as such, but again, As I would say, again, it depends on where, how you're going to use it. And right now, I personally feel as per the NBC. This things should be taken into use in the first stage for the light hazards.
Saurav C
If I may just add 1 step ahead, the BIS 15 105 2021 has also accepted CPVC to be one of the materials, as you rightly told, for the light hazard occupancy only. Yes, we need to be very careful. We should use the pipes or for that matter in any material in the categories which they are intended to be used. Not anywhere else.
Now, if I may ask you, if a high-rise building has a very good sprinkler system in place, would you advise high risk building to have a full proof sprinkler system so that your job becomes easier when you go there for firefighting? Because the sprinkler system itself will address lot of the challenges. And that time, your person, all they have to do is just ensure that the fire does not spread and rescue the people.
Mr . Gawde
Of course, the sprinklers system being an automatic system, it definitely helps in curbing the fire in the initial stages only. So it is an important part of the firefighting system wherein most of the buildings today require the system in its place.
Saurav C
Very interesting. So with this, I come to the final questions here to you. What would be your advice? To the residence of a new town, a new township like Pimpri Chinchwad where the people, the population is growing, the buildings are going vertically, what would be your 1 or 2 advices?
Mr . Gawde
I would advise on the contrary I would request. I won't say advice, but I would say I would request the residents in the tall buildings, high-rise buildings. Be cautious about your life. Be serious about your life, and please give you due importance to the fire safety aspects, whether it is a implementation, protection, or the installation of the firefighting system or the safety systems. As nowadays, we are giving importance to our physical fitness to our medical fitness, we need to take cognizance of these safety systems, or the fire production systems, and systems need to be installed in the building, as per the moment laid down rules and regulations or the laws which are made for that, and not only that, merely installing the system won't be the sufficient thing. To maintain that system, to know that system, and to practice that system, and keep intact so that it can be taken into use. And keep the well advancement. And accordingly, changing the system as per the requirements also an important part which should be taken care of.
Saurav C
I'll ask you a few very quick rapid fire questions, and what want you to do is not to think too much. Just quickly answer whatever I ask.
So here is my first question.
What is One thing you like about Pune?
Mr . Gawde
Punneit's, with a straightforwardness and invisible twist.
Saurav C
Absolutely. Straight forward Punneit with an invisible twist. And my last question here, If you have to use a sprinkler system in a building, what would you prefer? GI or CPVC? I am talking about residential building, light hazard.
Mr . Gawde
Equally both depending on where you are going to use it.
Saurav C
Thank you so much, sir. Thank you for these candid answers.
With this we come to the end of BlazeMaster presents fireside chat 2.0 episode 1. Keep watching this space. We'll be very soon coming with the next episode, which let me promise you, will be very interesting and equally candid. Thank you.