Karnataka Fire and Emergency Services

Karnataka Fire and Emergency Services
Agency overview
Established1964[1]
Fire chiefSri. M.N.REDDI, IPS
EMS levelBLS
MottoWe Serve to Save
Facilities and equipment
Stations168
Website
www.karnataka.gov.in/ksfes/Pages/home.aspx

The Karnataka Fire and Emergency Services Department is a department of the Government of Karnataka that is the foremost disaster management body in Karnataka, India.[2][3]

Background

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A fire truck in Bangalore

All buildings in the state are required to obtain a compliance certificate for fire safety from the department.[4] The department has the right to recommend the withdrawal of licences to commercial structures that do not have proper fire fighting equipment on their premises.[5]

The department has a sanctioned strength of 6,448 personnel.[6]

In 2009, the government announced that all taluks in the state would have fire stations.[7] As of 2011, the department had 168 fire stations across Karnataka,[8] while 31 more were sanctioned in 2012.[9] In 2011, Infosys built a 21,417-square-metre (230,530 sq ft) fire station at Hebbal, Mysore at a cost of ₹ 45 million for the department.[10]

The department also owns rescue vans in Bangalore, Mangalore, Gulbarga, Mysore, Mandya, Chamrjanagar, and Hassan.[11][12]

The department owns a pumper that was built by Dennis Brothers and delivered to the erstwhile Kingdom of Mysore in 1925 from England. It is the only petrol driven vehicle in the fleet and is brought out only during parades and rallies.[13] The department also owns a Bronto Skylift to reach the higher storeys of tall buildings in Bangalore.[14] The department owns similar equipment in the cities of Hubli and Mangalore.[15] Due to the lack of working fire hydrants in Bangalore city, the department has acquired two high capacity water tankers to send in case of massive fires.[16]

The department was one of the rescue agencies during the 2010 Mangalore air crash.[17]

A fire station in Mangalore

Criticism

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A report released by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India stated that the department was ill-prepared to handle emergency situations due to the lack of standard operating procedures.[18]

The department relies on groundwater reservoirs of the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board to fill water due to the lack of fire hydrants in Bangalore city. 400 fire hydrants have been reported to have gone missing since the 1980s.[4]

References

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Karnataka Fire and Emergency Services.
  1. ^ "Department of Fire Services starts blog". The Hindu. 12 October 2008. Archived from the original on 15 October 2008. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
  2. ^ "About The Department". KARNATAKA STATE FIRE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES DEPARTMENT. 5 September 2011. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  3. ^ "Fire brigade doesn't have an expert diver". The Times of India. Bangalore. 19 February 2013. Archived from the original on 23 February 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  4. ^ a b Ramani, Chitra (24 February 2013). "A third of city's high rises have no NOCs from Fire Department". Retrieved 30 November 2013.
  5. ^ "45 fire stations to be set up in State". The Hindu. 18 February 2007. Archived from the original on 30 April 2008. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
  6. ^ "ABOUT KARNATAKA STATE FIRE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES DEPARTMENT" (PDF). 5 September 2011. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  7. ^ "All taluks in State to have fire stations soon". The Hindu. Madikeri. 7 May 2009. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
  8. ^ "Seven more fire stations to come up in city". The Hindu. Bangalore. 20 February 2011. Archived from the original on 25 February 2011. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  9. ^ "State to get 31 new fire stations". The Hindu. Mysore. 4 July 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  10. ^ "State-of-the-art fire station complex inaugurated at Hebbal". The Hindu. Mysore. 17 January 2011. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  11. ^ "Bangalore may get advanced fire-fighting vehicle". The Hindu. 30 May 2004. Archived from the original on 4 June 2004. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
  12. ^ Bennur, Shankar (12 December 2011). "Several districts in State to get modern fire rescue vans". Retrieved 30 November 2013.
  13. ^ Govindarajulu, Priyanka (13 April 2011). "This Dennis is far from being a menace". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 18 April 2011. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  14. ^ MT, Shiva Kumar (14 April 2011). "High-tech ladder takes Fire Services Department to new heights". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 31 July 2011. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  15. ^ "Hi-tech fire engine for Mangalore". The Hindu. Mangalore. 2 April 2011. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  16. ^ Rao, Mohit (24 February 2012). "Fire hydrants now a showpiece". The Hindu. Bangalore. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  17. ^ M, Raghava (22 May 2010). "Role of fire services in the Mangalore air crash". The Hindu. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  18. ^ "Karnataka fire service dept woefully ill-prepared: CAG". 1 April 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
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