RAWALPINDI, April 15: The fire fighting agencies and institutions located within the bounds of Rawalpindi district are in a shambles, especially considering the fact that the likelihood of fire eruption in summer is greater as compared to winter.

The Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) has at its disposal only one fire fighting vehicle that too of older variety with no fire superintendent and only six firemen. The civil defence personnel of Rawalpindi district are unhappy over the situation in the RCB.

As of the current fiscal year, the Rawalpindi and Chaklala cantonments have been functioning separately. Rawalpindi is a very sensitive locality having within its limit the GHQ premises, a large number of industrial units, while the residence of the president is located in the neighbourhood of the cantonment.

However, the fire brigade in the Rawalpindi Tehsil Council is better placed than that at the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board. The tehsil council's fire brigade has its stations at Liaquat Bagh, Satellite Town and Pirwadhai with eighteen firemen and three fire fighting vehicles.

Firemen with the Rawalpindi Tehsil Council are fully trained and have been provided with necessary equipment for fire fighting like cylinders, foam equipment for combating with petroleum- induced fires.

Director Civil Defence Punjab Col (retired) Saood Pervez during his recent visit to an exercise arranged by the Rawalpindi Civil Defence at Liaquat Bagh provided 100 pairs of uniform to the volunteers of the Civil Defence. Meanwhile, Interior Minister Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat gifted to the Civil Defence Rawalpindi two gold shields as a gesture of appreciation of its work.