National Fire Service Day commemorates the 71 Fire Service personnel who lost their lives during an unfortunate and massive explosion at Mumbai dockyard on April 14, 1944. On this day, everyone gives tribute to all those brave firefighters. The government of India also honours fearless firefighters on NFS day who have done extraordinary work in their service.
National Fire Service Day 2022: Theme
This year the theme of the National Fire Service Day is “Learn Fire Safety, Increase Productivity”.
National Fire Service Day: History
During World War II, a major fire broke out on April 14, 1971 in the British freighter ‘SS Fort Stikine’ on Victoria dock at Bombay port in which 71 firefighters lost their lives to save lives and assets. SS fort Stikine ship held up a million litres of lubricating oil barrels, ammunition, detonators, cotton bales, currency note, gold, and currencies.
The ship was parked at the port on April 12 without any safety concerns but on April 14, it caught fire and was exploited due to the storage of 1400 tonnes of explosives. The ship was razed by two giant blasts and its debris was dissipated in the surrounding areas.
The entire Victoria dock was abolished due to fire and explosion. In this catastrophe, approximately 800 to 1300 people lost their lives. The explosion’s intensity was tremendous. Consequently, the ravaging fire also destroyed some of the highly developed and economically workable areas of Bombay.
National Fire Service Day: Significance
Remembering the tragic incident at the Mumbai Dockyard, people pay their respect and homage to the outstanding firefighters for their incredible commitment and sacrifice.
To prevent such fire explosions in the future, and increase awareness among civilians and school children, several organisations conduct training, drills and rehearsals to ascertain the preparedness to fight fire emergencies. Additionally, Fire service week is observed from April 14 to April 20 throughout India to spread awareness among the public regarding fire safety.
During the week, different types of public engagement activities are executed in India.
