Fire safety system teeters on the brink

Every now and then, some fire incident is reported in the port city, with the most recent at Gul Plaza resulting in a mass casualty tragedy. In such a scenario, critical attention naturally shifts to the fire-fighting system of the city, which was clearly unable to avert the disaster and save precious lives.

Syed Zulfiqar Shah, President of the Sajjan Union and Secretary of the All-Pakistan Fire and Workers Association, revealed that the KMC Fire Brigade had only 28 stations, most lacking basic facilities. Only 11 have underground tanks and proper infrastructure, while 17 have just a fire tender and staff. "All stations face water shortages and load-shedding, forcing tenders to rely on tankers during fires. During the Gul Plaza fire, timely water supply, clear routes, and controlled traffic could have improved the response," said Shah.

According to Former Leading Fireman Feroz Khan, the Fire Brigade faces two major issues plaguing the fire safety response: shortage of manpower and water. "If these two problems are resolved, fires can be brought under control quickly and rescue operations can be carried out promptly. Our firefighters are trained and have performed rescue services in Islamabad during the 2005 earthquake," said Khan.

While the capabilities and services of the firemen are worth appreciation, neither their skills nor their courage can be useful in a situation where the number of fleets are simply inadequate given the size of the population. Sources of the Express Tribune have revealed that the fire engine fleet has not been increased in size since 2021, even though an estimated 2,000 incidents of fire are reported each year in the port city.

"According to international standards, there should be one fire station and two fire tenders for every 100,000 population. A fire station must have basic facilities such as water supply, overhead and underground tanks. Each fire station should have at least 80 workers operating double shifts. Per shift, there should be 12 firefighters, two drivers, two leading firemen, one sub fire officer, and four wireless operators," urged Shah.

Currently, across 28 stations, the Fire Brigade has 82 fire tenders, of which only 53 are functional. There are eight snorkels, six functional, and two faulty. Keeping international standards in mind, Karachi, with an estimated population of 30 million, should have at least 300 fire stations and 600 fire tenders. However, the current fire-fighting paraphernalia is capable of meeting only nine per cent of the city's demand for fire safety.

A Fire Brigade officer, also speaking on the condition of anonymity, informed that after 2010, the Sindh government had reduced the release of funds. "Due to the negligence of KMC's senior officials and the workshops being inactive for 18 years, fire tenders are not repaired on time and gradually become non-functional. They stand idle at various fire stations before finally being auctioned off. Surprisingly, no annual maintenance contract has been awarded for the past five years," revealed the officer.

Due to restrictions imposed by the Sindh government, no recruitment has taken place in the Fire Brigade Department since 2009. Currently, 440 crucial posts in the department are vacant, including 205 firemen posts, 160 drivers, 78 leading firemen, 7 sub fire officers, and 12 station officers. In the Fire Brigade workshops, only one project officer is working; two assistant foreman posts are vacant. Out of 10 mechanic posts, six are filled and four are vacant.

A skilled worker at the Fire Brigade workshop, informed that until 2007, all repair work in the three Fire Brigade workshops was carried out by in-house skilled staff. "Later, citing lack of funds and spare parts as an excuse, senior officers of KMC Municipal Services, outsourced the entire system in 2008, rendering the workshops inactive and handing repair work to private contractors. As a result, the workshops deteriorated, most staff retired, and now only a few skilled workers remain, who are assigned tasks other than vehicle repairs," said the worker.

Former Karachi Port Trust Chief Fire Officer and fire safety expert Saeed Jadoon noted that Karachi had 121 police stations, whereas the KMC Fire Brigade had only 28 fire stations. "At the very least, a port city should have as many fire stations as police stations, because fire stations are equally essential. Accordingly, there should be sufficient fire tenders and trained firefighters. If all relevant institutions coordinate with one another and a one-window operation is established, firefighting efforts can be carried out more effectively," emphasized Jadoon.