Our Correspondent Patiala, October 11 The Fire Department in the district seems not to have learnt any lesson from its previous mistakes as it continues to be short of staff and equipment ahead of the festival season. Though the Punjab Government recently provided new fire tenders to the district, staff shortage raises questions over the safety of residents. Fire incidents in Patiala are getting critical. But the Punjab Fire Services, running under the Local Bodies Department of the state government, is ailing due to the shortage of staff and non-functional hydrants. Shortage of water-filling points in the city and leakage from tanks of vehicles are also adding to their woes. There are around 15 water hydrants in the city. One fire hydrant at the Fire Office, Patiala, is only in a working condition, while all others are lying dysfunctional. In April, standing wheat crops on hundreds of acres in several villages across the district were gutted. In most of the cases, the cause of fire could not be determined. But in some of the cases, the fire took place due to short-circuit in power lines. Three fire-fighters were injured due to a cylinder blast in the same month following a fire incident at a house in the walled city near Sabji Mandi. The fire-fighters were dousing flames without any safety gears due to the unavailability of proper equipment. As per the rules of the Punjab Fire Services, there should be four firemen, one leading fireman and a driver against one fire tender, but the ratio is terribly low in Patiala. There are 8 fire tenders in Patiala city for which only 25 staff members are present in the office. According to norms, 48 employees are needed for the smooth operation. The department also owns two fire-fighting bikes, which are lying non-operational. Out of the total 25 employees in Patiala, there are around 9 male fire-fighters, 3 female fire-fighters, 5 sub-fire officers and 5 drivers. But there are around 10 complete sets of equipment at the Patiala Fire Department office, which are not sufficient for the strength of staff members. A staff member at the Patiala Fire Department said they had already sent the demand for the required staff to the Local Bodies Department several times, but to no avail. Despite the shortage of staff, the available staff had to work hard to tackle with any emergency situation. What rules say As per the rules of the Punjab Fire Services, there should be four firemen, one leading fireman and a driver against one fire tender, but the ratio is terribly low in Patiala. Staff strength Out of the total 25 employees in Patiala, there are around 9 male fire-fighters, 3 female fire-fighters, 5 sub-fire officers and 5 drivers. But there are around 10 complete sets of equipment at the Patiala Fire Department office, which are not sufficient for the strength of staff members.The situation of the Fire Department in Samana city is also not different. There are three fire tenders, but the availability of the staff is just enough to operate one fire tender. The shortage of staff is putting the city on the risk in any emergency situation. Executive Officer of the Samana Municipal Council said though the civic body was running short of funds to recruit new staff, they were managing the services of the Fire Department without any hindrance.

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