THANE, Oct. 17 -- The death by electrocution of a contractual firefighter in Diva while rescuing a pigeon has brought to light the dire conditions contractual firefighters are forced to endure - they lack even basic safety gear such as gloves and helmets. HT had reported on October 13 that a firefighter, Utsav Patil, 28, had died and another, Azad Patil, 29, was injured when attempting to rescue a pigeon trapped in overhead electric wires in Diva, in Thane, on Sunday. Azad Patil said on the day of the accident, they had received a call about a pigeon being entangled in the electric wires. They informed the fire control room and Shil Fire Station, which is larger than the one at Diva, about the incident. They requested that the power supply be shut off. Assuming it had been temporarily switched off, the firefighters attempted to rescue the bird with a metal rod as it was dangling from what seemed like a thread. The rod, however, accidentally touched the electric wires, which delivered the two firefighters an electric shock. Azad confirmed that he and Utsav were not wearing rubber gloves at the time, as the fire station had none for the last 2-3 years. While Azad suffered burn injuries to his chest and head, Utsav did not make it. One of the firefighters at the Diva fire station alleged that he and his colleagues have been working without basic safety gear. "There are 12 firefighters at our fire station and all of us are on contract. The contractor provided us with gloves three years ago. He also gave us other fire-safety equipment like fire jackets and boots but these are in terrible condition now and unsafe to use," he said. "There are only three helmets, which the 12 firemen are required to share. Moreover, our fire control vehicle doesn't have even a basic first-aid kit. We work under dangerous conditions, which increase the risk to our lives," he added. Utsav's father Ashok Patil is still coming to terms with the loss of his son. "We were planning to get him married after Diwali," was all he managed to say. He has demanded that the TMC provide a permanent job to his younger son and also pay the family compensation. CFO Girish Zalake denies that the firemen work without safety gear. Of the two firefighters who tried to rescue the pigeon, Zalake said, "They did not follow the safety protocol of getting the power supply disconnected. The accusation concerning lack of safety equipment is false," he claimed. Mohan Tiwari, working president of the Municipal Labour Union, said, "Torrent Power has paid the family of the deceased firefighter Rs.5 lakh as compensation but we have asked the company to give the family Rs.25 lakh.."...