KARACHI, Jan 16: Monday’s fire in a garment warehouse, which claimed lives of six firemen leaving three still trapped under the rubble, has exposed the near collapse state of the fire department service.

The fire department’s capacity is insufficient to meet the requirements of the city and the latest incident is likely to affect the morale of the already neglected fire department.

Rescue officials said three firemen Imtiazul Haq, Fareed Khan and Naseer were still trapped under the rubble. Korangi Fire Station Officer Ishtiaq Ahmed suffered critical wounds and Site Fire Station Officer Mobin suffered fractures.

It is perhaps the most under resourced department faced with manpower shortage. As put by a fireman, “The department has never been taken seriously by the authorities concerned irrespective of who is in power”.

The state of affairs can be assessed from the fact that Chief Fire Officer Kazim Ali was under suspension since November 22. The routine affairs were being looked after by the deputy chief fire officer Naeem Yousuf, who reportedly suffered a nervous breakdown and was in hospital coinciding with the Monday’s fire inferno.

The chain of command suffered the last jolt when Fire Officer Ehtesham, who had taken charge from the deputy chief, got injured in the fire fighting operation on Monday.

After assessing the situation, the city nazim had to call CFO Kazim Ali at the place of the incident and reinstated him only on verbal orders.

Unlike the army and police services, survivors of “Shaheed” firemen do not receive monthly salary and other benefits.

Instead of special insurance policy, the firemen are provided with the general group insurance policy which is compulsory for all government servants.

In case of death in line of duty, the heirs of a fireman receive an amount of Rs300,000. Jobs were earlier provided to his blood relations, but due to recent ban on jobs this practice too suffered, insiders said adding that the jobs offered to such relatives recently were contract-based.

So far 17 firemen and officers of fire brigade department have sacrificed their lives and four rendered handicapped while saving citizens since 1958.

First accidental death of a fireman was recorded in 1958 when a huge fire broke out in a fireworks factory at Bohri Bazaar. Khannan Khan, the unfortunate fireman, succumbed to the burn wounds while extinguishing the fire.

Fireman Qamaruddin lost his life while attempting to save the life of a child who got trapped in a building where a major fire had erupted at Khajoor Bazaar in 1965. But, he neither succeeded to bring out the child nor managed to save his own life as the building structure collapsed during his attempt.

Alam Khan died of suffocation while he was striving to rescue some labourers who were trapped in an oil tanker, which caught fire in 1971.

In 1985, fireman Abdul Ghaffar Khan drowned to death when he was searching the body of a drowned child in a lake.

Sub Fire Officer Muhammad Shafiq was shot dead in 1992 by some miscreants while he was busy in putting off the fire that broke in a shop near Khokhrapar Post Officer.

Fireman Waseem Shaikh died of inhalation of toxic chemicals in 1992 while controlling the fire, which broke out at a chemical godown near Ran Pathani Railway Station.

Sub Fire Officer Abdul Majeed was crushed under the front wheel of a fire tender, which had rushed to Shershah to extinguish fire in 1992.

In 1995, fireman Gulam Rasool was busy in extinguishing the fire of a truck, which was set ablaze by miscreants at Korangi 5 ½ when he received bullet wounds in a cross fire between the miscreants and police. He was taken to the hospital but succumbed to the wounds during the operation.

In 1997, Sub Fire Officer Muhammad Siddique was shot dead by unknown assailants when he was on duty at the Central Fire Station, Baba-i-Urdu Road.

In 2006, Sub Fire Officer Aqeel Ahmad and firemen Sher Ahmad and Zubair Ahmad lost their lives in Site fire tragedy.

Fire Station Officer Zafar Akhtar died in a chemical godown while struggling to put off fire last year.

This year’s first incident of fire left six firemen dead as a result of roof collapse while they were extinguishing the fire that broke out in a garment godown.

Besides, several firemen were rendered handicapped, many received burn wounds while discharging their duties following the back draft of fire and caving in of affected buildings.