KARACHI: Fire dept ill-equipped to deal with emergencies
KARACHI, July 4: Speakers at a seminar on Fire Safety and Fire-fighting stressed the need for improving fire-fighting facilities in the metropolis which, they said, were inadequate keeping in view its territorial limits and population.
They also emphasized on the need for creating awareness in the masses with regard to fire safety measures.
The seminar was organized by Pakistan Press Foundation at its Vicky Zeitlin Media Library on Thursday.
Speaking on the occasion, Col Ehteshamuddin, District Officer of Fire Brigade and Civil Defence, pointed out that available resources were quite insufficient to meet the expenses of vehicle-maintenance and dealing with emergencies reported every day.
Referring to the internationally recognized standards, he said there should be one fire station at every kilometre or for a population of every 100,000 people. Karachi’s requirement, he said, could be met if at least 100 fire stations were established to cover its entire territory. Another option, he added, was to make available one fire station at every police station. Though, the number of fire stations in the city had risen to 20 now, as against 10 previously, the department still could not provide prompt emergency services to the people in distress.
Col Ehtesham was of the view that his department faced various problems due to the lack of interest on the part of the relevant authorities.
While the city’s Fire Brigade department has only one snorkel at its disposal, it has quite a few small fire-fighting vehicles which could move into a congested area or narrow street.
Col Ehtesham pointed out that under the Sindh Local Government Ordinance (SLGO), Civil Defence was to be devolved in the city government. He suggested that this should be done so that both the department could work jointly and with proper coordination while handling any emergency situation.
He observed that almost none of the buildings in the city had a fire exit, fire extinguisher and other essential fire-fighting equipment.
He regretted that the concerned departments did not consider it necessary to ensure availability of such safety equipment at the time of approving a building plan. The fire department may also be consulted for help in this regard, he said.
Mr Kazim Ali, Chief Fire Officer, stressed that fire safety culture needed to be developed in order to ensure effective prevention of big tragedies and disasters as well as combating them efficiently. Human behaviour, he pointed out, played a key role in an emergency situation.
Saeed Jadoon, Joint Secretary of Fire Protection Association of Pakistan, gave a presentation about the fire-fighting and safety measures.—PPI
