TN lost one fireman on an average annually this decade

Over ten fire servicemen have been killed in various accidents across the state in the last ten years and close to a hundred have suffered minor to serious injuries while on duty. 

The firemen, who get in to action immediately after a disaster strikes, are often victims of errors caused by others, including enthusiastic onlookers.

According to a fire service personnel, they approach a scene of fire with conjectures on what could be in store inside and in the case of Saturday’s fire accident, the fireman did not anticipate that three commercial cylinders would be kept inside the small shop and lost his life.  The last death of a fireman in Chennai was in 2012, when Anbazhagan, a fireman was killed and a female fire officer suffered burn injuries during a fire accident at Kalas Mahal. 

Gubendran, another fireman lost his life while rescuing people and cattle during a flood in Tiruchy and another fireman, Prabhakaran, was killed in a fire accident in Erode, both in 2011. 

In 2010, fireman Jyothibasu lost his life while fighting a fire accident in Andipatti, Madurai. In 2006, two firemen were killed while trying to douse the fire at a cracker unit in Sivakasi, and another one was killed during fighting a fire in Theni. 

“Between five to ten people also suffer injuries while on duty, every year. Some suffer deformities and the department tries to retain them, as far as possible, on humanitarian grounds,” Shahul Hameed, joint director, Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue department told DT Next. According to sources, in many places firemen hazard a guess on the materials inside a building under fire. Rarely are maps of the interiors of buildings made available to firefighters.