Fire Safety Campaign To Create Diwali Awareness

October 26, 2018

In the run-upto Diwali, Safe Kids Foundation India (SKFI), a leading not-for-profit organization, has launched a 10-day fire safety campaign to spread awareness on the use of firecrackers among Punekars.

Fire safety procedures from the Honeywell-funded Safe Kids at Home programme curriculum will be leveraged during this awareness drive. This campaign comes as many across the world are refocusing on fire hazard training, obtaining UK approved fire safety products and practising what to do in case of a fire in the workplace.

Besides conducting rallies, roadshows, and exhibitions, the campaign will introduce interactive and engaging activities like walkathon, kids’ carnival, poster-making competition across Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) areas. Students, teachers, and volunteers will also be inducted as fire marshals, called Agni Surakhsa Mitras, to help deal with fire emergencies.

Till date, the programme has trained 621 Agni Suraksha Mitras, and has also pioneered the development of 300 model fire-safe schools and 100 model fire-safe communities in Pune.

Mr. Prashant Ranpise, Chief Fire Officer, PMC said, “Though we are prepared to respond to any fire emergency, following firecracker safety measures will enable Pune inhabitants to celebrate a safer Diwali. With that intent, we continue to support SKFI every year to maximize the scale of this campaign”.

Mr Kiran Gawade, Chief Fire Officer, PCMC said, “Our firefighters remain on high alert during Diwali. We feel that the increased fire safety awareness among people, especially children and their parents, will empower everyone to support our endeavor and help mitigate fire accidents”.

Speaking at the launch of the campaign, Dr. Cinthia Pinto, Programme Director, Safe Kids Foundation India, said, “Diwali is the time of the year when people are more prone to fire-related accidents. Our aim is to help children and parents understand the importance of adopting preventive measures against burns and scalds”.

Backed by an extensive IMRB research, the Safe Kids at Home programme uses cutting-edge, experiential and fun educational tools to benefit485,000 children and 400,000 parents in Pune by 2019.