To avert tragedies: Industrialists urged to invest in fire fighting sector

KARACHI:

The deputy chief fire officer, Syed Imtiaz Afzal, urged industrialists on Friday to invest in the sector of fire fighting so that it could become equipped enough to handle any emergency situation.

Elaborating on the mechanism, Afzal said that if each industrial area contributes to the sector with two fire tenders or equivalent funds each year, there will be no big tragedies ever in the city.

"Four well-equipped fire stations should be set up in each industrial area," he said. "Currently, the fire department, with a total 22 fire stations, possesses 59 fire tenders of which only 37 are in working condition, three snorkels of which only one is functional."

He was of the view that if there are only 30 well-equipped fire-stations, the fire department will be able to meet the demands of the city. Afzal said that the association of industries needed to invest only one per cent of their profit for fire fighting and all demands will be met.

He also urged the government to provide separate water hydrants for the fire department so that it did not have to face shortage of water. 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 10^th, 2015.