02 January 2005	Sunday	20 Ziqa'ad 1425

LAHORE, Jan 1: The City District Government fire brigade is faced with the problem of increasing number of aging firemen and fire lorries affecting its fire fighting capabilities seriously.

Of around 400 firemen posted at 13 CDG fire stations, more than 100 have already crossed the 50 years age line and cannot fight the fire efficiently on account of their slowing down reflexes.

The fire officer has drawn the attention of the CDG towards the growing number of aging firemen and proposed their replacement with young and energetic men. As the aging firemen cannot be retired before attaining the age of superannuation against their will, he has proposed their transfers to other CDG departments or offering them a golden handshake.

The CDG cannot offer a golden handshake to the aging firemen as there is no provision for it in the service rules and it cannot make such a provision without the provincial government approval whose rules of service also lack such a provision.

Transfers of firemen to other departments are not possible either because most of them are illiterate or under-matric on the one hand and employees in other departments are not likely to opt for fighting fires on the other.

The condition of the fire brigade lorries is worse than the firemen. Most of its 13 lorries were purchased in 1980's and have become unreliable on account of being more than 20 years old.

The area of fire brigade operations, has, however, expanded significantly. It has also been entrusted the responsibility of controlling fires in the entire district since the creation of the CDG, but no new fire stations have been established outside the previous metropolitan limits till date.