Summer fires: CDA finalises Margalla Hills firefighting SOPs
Change in weather patterns to thank for lack of fires during May.
Due to the changing weather patterns this year, however, no fire incident has been recorded this May. PHOTO: AFP
ISLAMABAD:
With the onset of summer, the Capital Development Authority has finalised arrangements related to forest fire prevention, suppression and control activities at the Margalla Hills.
Every summer, a number of fire incidents are recorded on the hills, which stretch over 12,605 hectares. The area witnesses an average of 31 small and large scale fires during a year, mostly between May and July.
Due to the changing weather patterns this year, however, no fire incident has been recorded this May.
Aimed to avert and minimise losses, the newly-adopted standard operating procedures (SOP) comprehensively cover fire prevention measures, establishment of fire control sub stations, fire control rooms and pickets, ground and aerial surveillance of vulnerable pockets of the forest area, patrolling and deployment of firefighters and firefighting equipment, and post-fire operations.
The fire prevention measures include cleaning of fire lines, trails and paths, fixing and repairing of cautionary sign boards, and result-oriented coordination with the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Punjab forest departments and the Himalayan Wildlife Foundation, besides making village committees functional for timely sharing of information on fires.
According to the SOPs, the fire department would regularly inspect popular tourist spots on the hills such as Daman-e-Koh, Pir Sohawa, jogging trails and other picnic spots.
The department will install cautionary boards at these places requesting visitors to avoid throwing away cigarettes, matches or cooking in the areas during the summer.
A dedicated control room will coordinate with other provincial fire departments and report to conservator and divisional forest officer about any fire incident. Besides the main control room, a fire substation will also be established at Dara Jangla.
A fire truck with a six-member crew accompanied by forest fire picket staff will remain on duty round-the-clock at the fire control room. Meanwhile, a squad of 50 firemen from the Directorate of Emergency and Disaster Management will be available at the fire headquarters building to assist deployed staff as-and-when required.
A fire hotline — 051-2855513 — at the fire control room will remain operative round-the-clock.
A senior officer of the environment wing will act as the fire control duty officer on a daily basis and will be responsible for prevention, detection, fire fighting and coordination of fire control operations.
As many as 33 fire pickets, connected with the main control room, have also been established at different locations of the hills. Four vehicles will remain at the disposal of forest duty officer for intensive patrolling.
Similarly, post fire procedures such as mop up of the affected area to ensure there is no chance of re-eruption of fires will be done.
From 2000 to 2010, a total of 2,040.25 acres of forest area burnt in 309 fire incidents. However, the same report says that such large-scale fires caused damage to only 57 dead pine trees, along with bushes and grass.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 26th, 2014.
With the onset of summer, the Capital Development Authority has finalised arrangements related to forest fire prevention, suppression and control activities at the Margalla Hills.
Every summer, a number of fire incidents are recorded on the hills, which stretch over 12,605 hectares. The area witnesses an average of 31 small and large scale fires during a year, mostly between May and July.
Due to the changing weather patterns this year, however, no fire incident has been recorded this May.
Aimed to avert and minimise losses, the newly-adopted standard operating procedures (SOP) comprehensively cover fire prevention measures, establishment of fire control sub stations, fire control rooms and pickets, ground and aerial surveillance of vulnerable pockets of the forest area, patrolling and deployment of firefighters and firefighting equipment, and post-fire operations.
The fire prevention measures include cleaning of fire lines, trails and paths, fixing and repairing of cautionary sign boards, and result-oriented coordination with the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Punjab forest departments and the Himalayan Wildlife Foundation, besides making village committees functional for timely sharing of information on fires.
According to the SOPs, the fire department would regularly inspect popular tourist spots on the hills such as Daman-e-Koh, Pir Sohawa, jogging trails and other picnic spots.
The department will install cautionary boards at these places requesting visitors to avoid throwing away cigarettes, matches or cooking in the areas during the summer.
A dedicated control room will coordinate with other provincial fire departments and report to conservator and divisional forest officer about any fire incident. Besides the main control room, a fire substation will also be established at Dara Jangla.
A fire truck with a six-member crew accompanied by forest fire picket staff will remain on duty round-the-clock at the fire control room. Meanwhile, a squad of 50 firemen from the Directorate of Emergency and Disaster Management will be available at the fire headquarters building to assist deployed staff as-and-when required.
A fire hotline — 051-2855513 — at the fire control room will remain operative round-the-clock.
A senior officer of the environment wing will act as the fire control duty officer on a daily basis and will be responsible for prevention, detection, fire fighting and coordination of fire control operations.
As many as 33 fire pickets, connected with the main control room, have also been established at different locations of the hills. Four vehicles will remain at the disposal of forest duty officer for intensive patrolling.
Similarly, post fire procedures such as mop up of the affected area to ensure there is no chance of re-eruption of fires will be done.
From 2000 to 2010, a total of 2,040.25 acres of forest area burnt in 309 fire incidents. However, the same report says that such large-scale fires caused damage to only 57 dead pine trees, along with bushes and grass.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 26th, 2014.