QUETTA: Nader Khan has worked as a firefighter since 1998 and laments that he faces myriad troubles during his work.
Whenever a fire erupts anywhere in the city, the firefighters risk their lives to extinguish it right away, he added. “But we don’t have any health insurance. Recently, it was very challenging to put out a fire for the third time in a basement in Quetta. There were no proper exit points which created a lot of trouble.”
Apart from health insurance, there is no training for us, he revealed. He said that he had been appointed in 1998 but has not attended any proper training to battle blazes. “We need to learn new techniques on how to respond in emergency situations. The government should provide the basic facilities and proper training. Firefighters are anonymous heroes who risk their lives to save others.”
The field of firefighting is indispensable but in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, the importance of this field has reportedly been neglected.
There are only three fire stations in Quetta for an urban population of over 2.5 million.
The city has 15 fire engines, including three water bowsers, while snorkel and chemical tenders are not available at all for access to tall buildings.
This situation and other issues make it extremely difficult to put out fires in an emergency.
One fire station is located near Bacha Khan Chowk while two fire stations are located at Kawari Road and Double Road.
In addition to these three locations in the city, a fire station is located in Shahbaz Town. The three fire stations in the city limits have a total staff of about 50, including 30 firefighters and drivers.
Abdul Haq, chief fire officer of Metropolitan Corporation Quetta (MCQ), said that the number of staff was very low while fire stations were also small in terms of population and area.
He further said that there are only three fire stations in the city. “We have demanded two more fire stations [but the demand is] yet to be implemented. [Moreover] despite the siren sounding, people do not give way to fire trucks.”
He added that if a fire broke out in the suburbs of the city, it would take time to reach there, adding that there was a lack of resources and facilities.
He also said that due to a lack of awareness among the people, it is very difficult to reach the destination for extinguishing fires.
A victim of neglect
“The firefighting department is neglected in Balochistan. Firefighters are performing their duties in difficult conditions.”
“In addition to this, there are many traffic problems in the city due to population growth. The roads of the city are narrow and the number of vehicles has increased. Every possible protection of life and property of citizens in case of any emergency including fire is the first priority of firefighters. In order to achieve this goal, it is the responsibility of the government to create awareness among the people as well as to create conducive opportunities and environment.”
Fire traps
He revealed that there are 70 to 80 mini-petrol pumps in Quetta which are causing many fire incidents. “On a monthly basis, we cover around an average of 25 to 30 fire incidents.”
The MCQ chief fire officer elaborated that he had highlighted these issues with the former Balochistan chief minister Jam Kamal and he reportedly assured to resolve the issues. “We have met Governor Zahoor Ahmed Agha. He also assured us that he will resolve the issues soon.”
He explained that the delayed payment to firefighters is also one of the issues which affects their performance.
Firefighters need a foam fire extinguisher of 500 litres in every fire brigade vehicle, but they were getting only 220 litres on a yearly basis. Only water is being used to fight huge blazes. Moreover, firefighters do not have proper equipment such as an adequate number of fire tenders.
Fire officials point out that more fire stations are needed in Hazar Ganji, industrial area, Nawa Killi, Almo Chowk and Kuchlak.
Moreover, the city does not have firefighting vehicles equipped with snorkels to fight blazes in multistorey buildings.
It has also emerged that the fire brigade has only 42 permanent employees while the need is for 250 personnel. Around 100 daily wagers are working for the past 12 years in three shifts. According to the rules, in one fire brigade, six firefighters should be there but Quetta only has three.
There is also a water-filling issue. If the fire brigade moves to Kuchlak, which is at least 30km from Quetta, the staff has to come back again to the city to replenish water. It has been pointed out that there should be several spots located in the city where fire trucks can replenish their supply of water.
There is also the question of geographical reach as Quetta’s fire brigade teams have to deal with blazes in Zhob, Khanozai, Muslim Bagh, Chaman, Qilla Abdullah, Mach and Mastung.
Most of these towns are located at quite a distance from the provincial capital, which means that the fire brigade can take its time in reaching them in the event of an emergency.
