International fire fighters day was observed in Mardan on Thursday, with the aim to commemorate the efforts and sacrifices made by the brave men to save people during an emergency.
To honour fire-fighters on International fire fighter’s day, Mardan Rescue 1122 conducted seminar and training sessions in which people from all walks of life participated.
The citizens of Mardan acknowledged the services of firefighters who have dedicated their lives for the protection of life and property, risking the ultimate sacrifice of their lives.
However, the Mardan district’s fire department is in a gloomy state. The district fire department has failed to provide firefighting services to the residents but Rescue 1122 Mardan fire fighters have fulfilled this gap.
After failure of repeated attempts to improve and modernise the existing municipal fire brigades, Rescue 1122 has worked to establish first modern fire service in Mardan.
In Mardan, the rescue fire service was established on pilot basis in November 2012. Since then, the Rescue 1122 fire services employed 55 fire fighters who have responded to 942 fire calls and saved hundreds of lives in addition to saving losses worth billions of rupees, by providing timely response and professional firefighting on modern lines.
However, the increasing number of fire incidents due to poor enforcement of fire safety codes, given in the building bylaws, is increasingly putting the lives and properties of citizens and rescuers at risk.
Furthermore, the absence of proper emergency stairs, fire hydrants and encroachments around the buildings makes the firefighting operations very difficult and dangerous, especially in the walled city and high rise buildings. Therefore the bare minimum fire safety codes have been notified and efforts are underway for the establishment of an effective building control authority to ensure safe construction and expansion of cities.