The capital city’s ability to respond to emergencies of fire has never been tested fully, and hence, its fire bragade’s shortcomings never fully exposed. The brigades in the Valley’s three districts happen to be neglected. It is a streak of good luck that has so far prevented a big fire from gutting the city down. For nothing much can be actually expected of the brigades’ firefighting ability even a few blocks away from where the engines are housed, leave alone its nooks and crannies. Traffic congestion and haphazard construction can create problems for a reliable fire brigade which arrives to fight the fire — not for one arriving to douse the ambers hours after locals put out the fire themselves. The problem with the city’s firefighting squad has been lack of resources, neglected engines and staff shortage. For example, the tap meant for drawing water during times of emergencies in the brigade’s premises in Kathmandu district is dry. Shuttling to and from a water source within a kilometre’s radius from the site of an emergency takes too much time. Add to it the woes of the traffic congestion and that explains how underequipped most of the Valley is in terms of firefighting.

The derelict state of the fire brigade has come under the media scanner very often. But that is also an area which has failed to attract the required level of government attention. The firefighting gear such as fireproof jackets, helmets and engines are in perennial short supply. Even alarming is the staff strength. The existing squad in each district in the Valley cannot fight fires at more than two places simultaneously. Furthermore, years of exasperating government inaction in upgrading the brigade has robbed these men of the professional zeal required of a trained fire fighter. This is a recipe for a very difficult scenario should a calamity such as an earthquake, human error or acts of arson happen to set off fires in different places. Fire fighters are not only responsible for fighting raging flames but also should be in an ever ready state round the clock to respond to a range of emergencies. That is hardly the case with the city’s existing fire brigade. The government needs to actually take up the challenge and modernise the brigade, equip it with the state of art technology, train the manpower and induct more staff so that the destruction of life and property can be minimised in the event of a calamity. A thriving city like Kathmandu cannot do without a swift disaster management facility of which modern-day fire fighters constitute the inalienable half. To prolong the modernisation programme of the existing brigades is to sit on a ticking time bomb. It needs to be sorted out before a belated realisation. The best time to start stoking the fire brigade is now.