Firefighting capabilities

With a population of over 20 million, Karachi has only 13 fire tenders to respond to fire emergencies. Of the 50 Karachi Fire Brigade’s fire engines, at present only 13 can be operated. The city needs 200 fire brigade stations with 10,000 personnel — each station with four fire tenders at the ready, with at least 50 personnel working in three shifts. But the current situation is highly unsatisfactory in a city where fire breaks out often in industries and warehouses. The shortage of fire tenders and a highly insufficient number of firefighters result in fires causing much more damage than they could do if the city is better prepared to respond to fire emergencies.

Recently several fire incidents occurred at industries and in warehouses. A minor girl died after a fire broke out in a house, and several timber warehouses were gutted because of inordinate delays in fire engines reaching the fire sites in time. The situation only points to adhocism that has become the hallmark of our national affairs. Reports say the Sindh Building Control Authority has recklessly allowed the construction of high-rise buildings without taking into account measures against the outbreak of fire. Besides, the number of snorkels is also insufficient.

A few years ago when a fire broke out in an office-cum-residential high-rise in Saddar, a man tried to escape by jumping from the building. He caught hold of a windowsill a few floors below. After hovering between life and death for several minutes, he fell on the ground and died instantly. Such incidents keep happening and yet the authorities have remained unmoved. Fire safety officials say around 4,500 fire incidents occur in Karachi each year, mostly in industrial and commercial areas. Most fires occur due to faulty wiring. The authorities should bear in mind that a spark neglected makes a mighty fire.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 20^th, 2019.

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