Cooling jackets for Gurugram traffic cops deployed at major intersections

Gurugram: To cope with the intense heat while manning traffic at busy intersections, members of the Gurugram traffic police have been provided with cooling jackets. To begin with, 12 such cooling jackets have been given to policemen deployed at major intersections on Thursday, officials aware of the matter said.

Deputy commissioner of police (traffic), Virender Vij, said that the jackets will help in maintaining body temperature around 5-6 degrees lower than the surrounding temperature for a duration of 3-5 hours, depending on the humidity level in the surroundings.

“We are currently evaluating its effectiveness for a week and based on its performance, we will proceed with orders for the entire traffic team,” he said.

Vij said it becomes difficult for the traffic policemen to be on the road in the scorching heat for continuous hours during the peak summer season. “We are trying different things such as jackets, vests, helmets and porta cabins to ensure there is some respite from their hectic deployment,” he added.

Officials said the jackets also have numerous health advantages, including regulating body temperature under severe heat conditions and counteracting the impact of external temperature fluctuations.

“Additionally, it helps regulate elevated heart rates, reduces thermal and cardiovascular stress, mitigates dehydration, improves tolerance levels, and lowers the level of exertion,” said Vij.

The traffic police personnel said that they had received two samples of the jackets approximately two weeks ago. However, they have not initiated the trial period yet because they were waiting to acquire more samples. “We want to conduct trials at various locations across the city, necessitating a sufficient number of jackets for comprehensive testing. Once we have gathered an adequate quantity of samples, we plan to begin the trial to thoroughly assess the effectiveness of the jackets in different environments and conditions,” said Vij.

In 2017, the Hyderabad traffic police had acquired similar jackets for their teams, but they were discontinued due to negative feedback regarding their cooling effectiveness. Traffic police personnel had then said that the jackets were cumbersome and lost their cooling properties rapidly due to condensation. However, the Gurugram police said that modifications have been made to the jackets, and they plan to gather feedback from at least 50 policemen before implementing them citywide.