More Than Firefighters

When we think of the fire service, we imagine firefighters in bulky uniforms carrying hose pipes, red fire engines and tall ladders. But recent initiatives by the department ferrying residents on boats in waterlogged areas of the capital city or rescuing people trapped under mudslides have given us a different view of the emergency service.

Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) is a service-oriented government organisation under the Ministry of Home Affairs. It is staffed by first responders who are trained to manage any emergency situation within the shortest possible time. The activities of the fire service are more visible than before. From extinguishing blazes to pulling out victims from collapsed buildings to retrieving dead bodies from the river, they are everywhere. This week, The Weekend Independent talked to FSCD officials and firefighters about activities of the department that is dedicated to saving lives and property.

Harun-uz-Zaman Bhuiyan, director (admin and finance) and acting director general of FSCD, said: “FSCD was established in 1982 to put out fires. But with the passage of time, the working field of the service has been increasing. Nowadays, you can see fire service personnel in every disaster. Besides firefighting, they are also carrying out search and rescue activities in emergency situations. They play an important role in recovering corpses from water bodies. We have some trained divers who provide service in water disasters, like when a ferry or launch capsizes, or a vehicle gets stuck in a swamp after an accident. Our firefighters also served well in the recent landslides at Rangamati, along with other government agencies. Even if any animal or bird gets wounded, we are also ready to help them. Most recently, providing boat services in the waterlogged areas of Dhaka city is another new addition to our service activities. Now it is said: ‘Where the disaster is, there is FSCD!”

About the present capacity of FSCD, the acting DG continued: “The number of total fire stations is 325 (in the country) and our present manpower is 8,000. The number of stations will be 552 by 2019 and our staff will increase to 15,000. For the first time in the history of FSCD, four female officers have been appointed recently. We have added ultramodern equipment and vehicles. There was no scope of training overseas before, but the government has paved the way for all levels of firefighters to get training abroad. For that, our capacity to serve the people is increasing day by day. So, we hope we will provide better services with the demand of time.”

About maintenance and others activities, Major AKM Shakil Newaz, director (operation and maintenance) of FSCD, said: “My duty is to control operations in the whole country. My department also conducts (fire safety) awareness programmes in slums, madrasahs, mosques, kitchen markets and other important places every Friday and Saturday. We are doing this to provide better service within our capacity. Besides that, we also conduct regular training programmes for students of schools and colleges so they can be more alert. At least, we want people to know the fire service emergency number _ (02) 9555555 _ which I mentioned before through the Weekend magazine.”

Talking about the problem of moving fire vehicles through the narrow and congested streets of the city, the director said: “About 75 percent of roads in Old Dhaka are narrow. Our large vehicles find it difficult to reach the scene of incidence. For that, we have been given small-sized vehicles and special motorcycles to reach the spot instantly.”

FSCD has made huge changes in the past five years, increasing its capacity by a greater margin. “We have five ultramodern vehicles now that can tackle fires up to 20-storyed buildings. We have five other vehicles to douse fires up to 18 storeys. Overall, we are providing service to people within our limited manpower and capacity. We are working 24 hours a day to win the heart of the people,” Major Newaz added.

The fire department has taken on many volunteers to extend its services. M Ataul Haque, project director of burn treatment hospital and ambulance service expansion project of FSCD, told The Weekend Independent: “With the help of UNDP, we have a project to train 62,000 urban community volunteers. So far, we have already trained 32,000 urban volunteers and they have been working with us since the Rana Plaza tragedy.”

FSCD also provides ambulance services at minimum cost. “This year, we have added 50 new ambulances. The Chinese government has given us 50 more ambulances and we will buy another 25 ambulances for hilly and muddy areas soon. So, we will have 250 ambulances in total, including both old and new. These ambulances are working effectively at road rescues. They bring critically wounded victims from the accident spots. We have set up ambulance units at critical places so that people can get optimum service from us. To provide the service in every area, we need more fire stations. For   this, the government has introduced three projects, we hope they will be implemented by 2019,” Haque said.

“We are not only firefighters, we are first responders in any manmade or natural disaster, such as road accident, landslide or earthquake. We believe investment in the fire department is investment in disaster risk reduction, which is one of the most important of our sustainable development goals (SDGs). So, our target is to mitigate disaster risks,” he added.

“We all know that Bangladesh lies in a disaster-prone zone. We respond to any disaster in two ways. One is preparedness during a disaster, and the other is reduction of losses. For preparation, we have to make people alert about possible disasters. For this, we have taken mass awareness programmes at every level of our society. The first 15 minutes of any fire incident is called the ‘golden time’. If we can reach the spot within that time, we can reduce the damages. We have already set up mobile teams at busy places of Dhaka city. Now, we need satellite fire stations. If we get some space to keep our vehicles, along with some firemen, in congested areas, we can reduce the response time. Reduction of response time means saving the lives of many more people and protection of property,” the project director said.  

About the challenges regarding firefighting and rescue operations in the country, the project director said: “Since there aren’t sufficient water bodies in Dhaka city, we have to carry water in our vehicles. So, it is our request to the architects and builders to allocate space for fire services while constructing new urban projects. We are going to set up EOCs (emergency operation centres). Firstly, we have taken three cities_ Dhaka, Narayanganj and Gazipur. These areas have many RMG (readymade garments) factories, where we will use cameras to detect fire incidents instantly. We are going to establish the response centres with the help of the Korean government. We will also build a modern training academy to provide training to our firefighters. We are also building our new headquarters at Mirpur with the help of the Japanese government. Our present HQ building (at Kazi Alauddin Road in Siddique Bazar) was built in 1960. At that time, this place was the centre of Dhaka. Now it lies in one corner. So, it is not possible to provide the same kind of service to every resident from this station. It is not even a modern building, if an earthquake occurs, all the vehicles and equipment will be buried under the rubble. Our new building will be ultramodern and will tolerate magnitude 7 quakes. Also, firefighting equipment should be kept in open spaces with access to wide roads. We are trying to find such a place.”

In most fire incidents, local people are seen joining firemen during operations. But that can actually hamper the work of firefighters, according to Nazir Hossain, who has been a fireman for 12 years. “Our first priority is to rescue people alive. So in every fire incident, we try to search for people who are still alive and after rescuing them, we send them to the hospital immediately. In every disaster, from my long experience as a firefighter and rescuer, I can say one thing _ the people of our country are very much helpful. But sometimes, they hamper our operation.”

“The main motto of FSCD is to do better work for the people. To implement this, the department is trying its best all the time,” the fireman added.

More details about the activities of FSCD can be found at http://www.fireservice.gov.bd.

Photos: Courtesy.

More Than Firefighters

When we think of the fire service, we imagine firefighters in bulky uniforms carrying hose pipes, red fire engines and tall ladders. But recent initiatives by the department ferrying residents on boats in waterlogged areas of the capital city or rescuing people trapped under mudslides have given us a different view of the emergency service. Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) is a service-oriented government organisation under the Ministry of Home Affairs. It is staffed by first responders who are trained to manage any emergency situation within the shortest possible time. The activities of the fire service are more visible than before. From extinguishing blazes to pulling out victims from collapsed buildings to retrieving dead bodies from the river, they are everywhere. This week, The Weekend Independent talked to FSCD officials and firefighters about activities of the department that is dedicated to saving lives and property. Harun-uz-Zaman Bhuiyan, director (admin and finance) and acting director general of FSCD, said: FSCD was established in 1982 to put out fires. But with the passage of time, the working field of the service has been increasing. Nowadays, you can see fire service personnel in every disaster. Besides firefighting, they are also carrying out search and rescue activities in emergency situations. They play an important role in recovering corpses from water bodies. We have some trained divers who provide service in water disasters, like when a ferry or launch capsizes, or a vehicle gets stuck in a swamp after an accident. Our firefighters also served well in the recent landslides at Rangamati, along with other government agencies. Even if any animal or bird gets wounded, we are also ready to help them. Most recently, providing boat services in the waterlogged areas of Dhaka city is another new addition to our service activities. Now it is said: Where the disaster is, there is FSCD! About the present capacity of FSCD, the acting DG continued: The number of total fire stations is 325 (in the country) and our present manpower is 8,000. The number of stations will be 552 by 2019 and our staff will increase to 15,000. For the first time in the history of FSCD, four female officers have been appointed recently. We have added ultramodern equipment and vehicles. There was no scope of training overseas before, but the government has paved the way for all levels of firefighters to get training abroad. For that, our capacity to serve the people is increasing day by day. So, we hope we will provide better services with the demand of time. About maintenance and others activities, Major AKM Shakil Newaz, director (operation and maintenance) of FSCD, said: My duty is to control operations in the whole country. My department also conducts (fire safety) awareness programmes in slums, madrasahs, mosques, kitchen markets and other important places every Friday and Saturday. We are doing this to provide better service within our capacity. Besides that, we also conduct regular training programmes for students of schools and colleges so they can be more alert. At least, we want people to know the fire service emergency number _ (02) 9555555 _ which I mentioned before through the Weekend magazine. Talking about the problem of moving fire vehicles through the narrow and congested streets of the city, the director said: About 75 percent of roads in Old Dhaka are narrow. Our large vehicles find it difficult to reach the scene of incidence. For that, we have been given small-sized vehicles and special motorcycles to reach the spot instantly. FSCD has made huge changes in the past five years, increasing its capacity by a greater margin. We have five ultramodern vehicles now that can tackle fires up to 20-storyed buildings. We have five other vehicles to douse fires up to 18 storeys. Overall, we are providing service to people within our limited manpower and capacity. We are working 24 hours a day to win the heart of the people, Major Newaz added. The fire department has taken on many volunteers to extend its services. M Ataul Haque, project director of burn treatment hospital and ambulance service expansion project of FSCD, told The Weekend Independent: With the help of UNDP, we have a project to train 62,000 urban community volunteers. So far, we have already trained 32,000 urban volunteers and they have been working with us since the Rana Plaza tragedy. FSCD also provides ambulance services at minimum cost. This year, we have added 50 new ambulances. The Chinese government has given us 50 more ambulances and we will buy another 25 ambulances for hilly and muddy areas soon. So, we will have 250 ambulances in total, including both old and new. These ambulances are working effectively at road rescues. They bring critically wounded victims from the accident spots. We have set up ambulance units at critical places so that people can get optimum service from us. To provide the service in every area, we need more fire stations. For this, the government has introduced three projects, we hope they will be implemented by 2019, Haque said. We are not only firefighters, we are first responders in any manmade or natural disaster, such as road accident, landslide or earthquake. We believe investment in the fire department is investment in disaster risk reduction, which is one of the most important of our sustainable development goals (SDGs). So, our target is to mitigate disaster risks, he added. We all know that Bangladesh lies in a disaster-prone zone. We respond to any disaster in two ways. One is preparedness during a disaster, and the other is reduction of losses. For preparation, we have to make people alert about possible disasters. For this, we have taken mass awareness programmes at every level of our society. The first 15 minutes of any fire incident is called the golden time. If we can reach the spot within that time, we can reduce the damages. We have already set up mobile teams at busy places of Dhaka city. Now, we need satellite fire stations. If we get some space to keep our vehicles, along with some firemen, in congested areas, we can reduce the response time. Reduction of response time means saving the lives of many more people and protection of property, the project director said. About the challenges regarding firefighting and rescue operations in the country, the project director said: Since there arent sufficient water bodies in Dhaka city, we have to carry water in our vehicles. So, it is our request to the architects and builders to allocate space for fire services while constructing new urban projects. We are going to set up EOCs (emergency operation centres). Firstly, we have taken three cities_ Dhaka, Narayanganj and Gazipur. These areas have many RMG (readymade garments) factories, where we will use cameras to detect fire incidents instantly. We are going to establish the response centres with the help of the Korean government. We will also build a modern training academy to provide training to our firefighters. We are also building our new headquarters at Mirpur with the help of the Japanese government. Our present HQ building (at Kazi Alauddin Road in Siddique Bazar) was built in 1960. At that time, this place was the centre of Dhaka. Now it lies in one corner. So, it is not possible to provide the same kind of service to every resident from this station. It is not even a modern building, if an earthquake occurs, all the vehicles and equipment will be buried under the rubble. Our new building will be ultramodern and will tolerate magnitude 7 quakes. Also, firefighting equipment should be kept in open spaces with access to wide roads. We are trying to find such a place. In most fire incidents, local people are seen joining firemen during operations. But that can actually hamper the work of firefighters, according to Nazir Hossain, who has been a fireman for 12 years. Our first priority is to rescue people alive. So in every fire incident, we try to search for people who are still alive and after rescuing them, we send them to the hospital immediately. In every disaster, from my long experience as a firefighter and rescuer, I can say one thing _ the people of our country are very much helpful. But sometimes, they hamper our operation. The main motto of FSCD is to do better work for the people. To implement this, the department is trying its best all the time, the fireman added. More details about the activities of FSCD can be found at http://www.fireservice.gov.bd. Photos: Courtesy.