Fire stations limp for lack of modern equipment
10 upazilas are yet to get fire service
Fire Service and Civil Defence, Chittagong headquarters at Agrabad. Photo: STAR
The fire stations in Chittagong district are struggling with inadequate modern equipment, causing additional damage to human lives and property during the incident of fire or any other disaster. Of the 15 stations, 10 are situated in the metropolitan areas and five at four upazilas -- Sitakunda, Hathazari, Patiya and Satkania -- while 10 upazilas have no fire station. They are to depend on the nearby fire stations, sources said. Each of the fire stations run on only two vehicles -- one for transportation and another for carrying water -- while the headquarters have some modern equipment to fight fire in the high rise buildings and during disasters like landslide. In any emergency, the other stations seek help from the headquarters, which is situated at busy Sheikh Mujib Road in the port city. Some modern and necessary equipment for fire fighting, rescuing people from fire affected high-rise buildings, collapsed buildings and landslides are available at the headquarters. The equipment includes a turntable ladder (180 feet), snorkel (an 88.6 feet ladder), foam tender, breakdown vehicle, electric power vibrator, search camera and light unit. “It is very much time consuming to reach the place of incidents from the Sheikh Mujib Road amid traffic congestion while sometimes it takes several hours to reach the upazilas like Mirersarai and Satkania,” said Jasim Uddin, deputy assistant director (DAD) of Fire Service and Civil Defence, Chittagong Headquarters. “When every second is important, delay in reaching the spots of the incident with modern equipment causes additional damage to human lives as well as the properties,” he said, emphasising the need for setting up of few more fire stations in the densely populated and industrial areas of the city and upazilas. With the shortage of equipment, unplanned urbanisation, lack of street hydrants, natural water body, open wires over the roads and callousness among the owners of high rise buildings and industries are also responsible for increasing the extent of damage during the disasters. Jasim said if fire breaks out in the densely populated areas like Reazuddin Bazar, Khatunganj, Chaktai and Pahartali it will be tough for fire fighters to douse the fire even with the modern equipment due to its narrow roads. “It is amazing that though we have the 180 feet turn-table ladder, a ladder which can rescue people from 18-storey buildings, it cannot be moved at most of the densely populated areas since it needs huge space to move and open,” he said. He said it is not possible to take the ladder even to Chittagong Medical College Hospital due to narrow road, open electricity and other wires over the road. A total of 977 incidents of fire occurred from January, 2009 to July this year, causing damage to properties worth around Tk 6,533 crore. Besides, 216 accidents, including road mishaps, have taken place, leaving 50 people dead and 38 others injured during the period, said the sources. The Fire Service Chittagong Headquarters Deputy Director Mohammad Ruhul Amin said construction of four more fire stations at Fatikchhari, Rangunia, Banskhali and Anwara are going on while process for setting up four other stations at Mirersarai, Bhatiari, Patenga and Halishahar are under process. He said modern equipment are very costly and with shortage of equipment they are trying best to save human lives and properties with optimum use of the existing ones. Ruhul said they have launched a mobile court against those who are running business and stockpiling the flammable chemicals and other goods without licence. He said they are also collecting information about the chemical industries and shops to check the incident of fire.
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