Trivandrum, as with most other cities, is thickly populated and densely structured, with multi-storeyed buildings springing up on almost every street within and around the city. The lack of proper procedural steps behind granting building licenses and the inefficiency in properly executing the stated safety rules form a fertile ground for an accidental fire to grow and spread, capable of causing immense loss, both in terms of money and life, at any time. The power house of the government, the Secretariat building at Statue Junction, with all its official files and documents, is yet to have a separate fire wing to tackle the situation in case of a fire. While fire safety is a major concern for every major city anywhere around the world, the authorities of the state are only slowly warming up to the matter, more so after the recent instances of fire at Chalai Market and in the SreePadmanabha Swamy Temple premises.
 
But handling fire emergencies aren’t the only job for Kerala Fire and Rescue Service Department.
 

“We are entrusted with immediate deployment of our services for any public urgency, be it fire, flood or a road accident,” says Saji Ram, Secretary, Kerala Fire and Safety Drivers and Mechanics Association.
 
According to Saji Ram, the need for an efficiently working fire and rescue department couldn’t be any more imminent than it is now.
 
“Take Chalai Market for example – rows of old buildings mainly made of wood built at very close proximity with each other. In case of a fire, the flames could spread rapidly through the buildings and the losses inflicted would be unaccountable. The licensing of cracker factories and shops selling them at the time of Diwali is hazard. High rise buildings are sprouting faster than ever before in the city, yet a proper mode for facing the situation if any of the upper floors catches fire is almost nil.”

The Kerala Fire and Rescue Services Department presents a picture perfect description of the inefficiency that’s more or less the norm for almost all government handled departments. The shortage of manpower is acute within the department, with over 2500 vacancies yet to be filled. Even in the allocated driver’s post numbering to 680, only 400 or so have been filled. On paper, the fire and rescue services department has over 325 vehicles in the form of fire engines, jeeps and ambulances, but in reality 40% of them are lying idle at various fire stations all over the state.
 
“The maintenance work needed for these vehicles is meager. But the ‘proper’ procedures and paperwork delays it by months, sometime even for years. So the little maintenance that the vehicle needs and for which the vehicle has been pulled off from the road, gradually develops into more complicated and expensive work as the vehicles lie idle for too long.  If you check the records you will find that most of the vehicles which had been auctioned from the department had covered a distance of less than 20000 kilometers while in service.”
 
In addition to the lack of proper maintenance, there is also a severe lack of vehicles equipped with modern facilities within the department.
 
“We are expected to carry around 4000 litres of water and rush to the spot using vehicles that don’t even have power steering facility in them,” points out Saji Ram.
 
The skyline of Trivandrum, as well as most other major cities and towns within the state, is rapidly changing. High rise buildings are the most practical solution to the housing needs of a population whose spending power is ever on the rise. However, when it comes for the Fire and Rescue Department to be kept up to date with the changing times, the result is not only disappointing but a tad terrifying as well.
 

“The existing ladders that we have with us are capable of lifting us only to the height of about three storeys. The department had procured two sky lifts, one at Trivandrum and one at Kochi and both of them are not in operational conditions. In the event of a fire in any of the high rises, we could only rely on manual power and the will power of climbing up and down that many storeys in the heat and the smoke.”