The state fire and emergency services department has requested police to cordon off a sizeable area around a blaze site so firefighters can work without getting attacked by large groups of people, officials said.

The fire department and the police will also conduct a survey of roads through which fire tenders can move the fast on their way to reach a place from where a blaze is reported.

The steps were discussed at a coordination meeting held in New Town on Monday, chaired by fire and emergency services minister Sujit Bose. Senior officers of the Calcutta, Bidhannagar, Barrackpore and Howrah police attended the meeting.

Bose requested the police to ensure that a cordon with “barricades and guardrails” be set up around the spot from where a fire is reported sothat firefighters don’t getattacked.

“We have requested the police to help us and set up cordons in areas from where a fire is reported so that firemen can work without getting attacked. A survey will also be conducted that will identify routes through which fire engines can move fast,” said Bose.

According to the minister, fire engines were pelted with stones after a fire broke out in a cluster of tenements in Topsia that left over 100 families homeless.

“In Topisa, firemen were attacked after residents of the area accused them of reaching late. They were actually caught up in slow-moving traffic on the roads that flank a canal in the area,” Bose said.