Bengal using SMS alerts for fire fighters

Kolkata, May 14: The West Bengal government has started an SMS alert system for fire fighters, a minister said on Thursday.

Javed Ahmed Khan, the minister for disaster management, fire and emergency services and civil defence, said SMS alerts were initiated a month ago to have better coordination among fire fighters and officials.

"This will ensure everybody who is on the field is aware of a situation that has arisen," Khan told reporters here, while speaking at a session on fire safety organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

The minister urged industrialists and businessmen to invest five to 10 percent of their budget to instal safety measures in their establishments.

He also said a team was carrying out fire safety auditing across state-run hospitals, nursing homes, market places and will move on to the state legislature premises.

IANS