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According to the brigade, popularly known as Juddha Barun Yantra, fuel stations are most susceptible to fire incidents.
"Taking advantages of weak monitoring mechanism, entrepreneurs have been risking the lives and properties of people," said Naresh Kunwar, a fire commander with the Brigade, adding, "They have not fulfilled even the basic fire safety requirements."
A single petrol pump has the capacity to store up to 80,000 liters of fuel. Most of the stations have been using power generators to run the pump at the time of load shedding.
"Fire sparks give off by such generators could be deadly," said LilaRaj Gachha Magar, chief of the brigade. He said that instead of installing automatic advance safety equipments, the petrol pump owners are using fire extinguishers of five kilograms, which is sorely inadequate to tackle a fire at a petrol station.
Some of the fuel pumps at the city center are located at less than 500 meters distance of each other, which, Kunwar said, is too risky.
As fire that catches fuels like petrol, diesel and gas spreads quickly and turns into a conflagration in no time. "If any of the fuel stations catches the fire, it would easily spread to an area within a kilometer," he said, adding, "No one can imagine the consequences if fuel stations catch fire." He said that big portion of a city could be destroyed if such catastrophe happened.
According to the brigade, as per the standards of fire science, petrol filling stations should be located at least five kilometers from human settlements. Naturally, enough prudence has not been shown while distributing licenses to petrol pump operators in the valley.
The officials of the department in the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) that is responsible to regulate fuel pumps admitted that they have never monitored the safety situations at the pumps.
"We are planning to monitor fuel pumps from the next fiscal year. We are doing the homework for required rules and regulations," Kedar Bahadur Adhikari, Executive Officer of the metropolis, said. When asked why the office could not start monitoring drive immediately, he said, "The office cannot move ahead without preparation."
Meanwhile, the brigade has said that the increasing trend of hoarding fuels at homes also pose a big risk. On an average, two fire incidents took place in the capital each day, data of the brigade shows. Ten people have died and over two dozen critically injured in separate fire incidents that took place in the valley in the last six months.
Highlights:
Neither fuel stations nor gas depots in the valley have proper safety measures in place to deal with possible catastrophes caused by fire.
Weak monitoring mechanisms have made it easier for the entrepreneurs to risk the lives and properties of people.
Most of the stations use power generators to run the pumps at the time of load shedding, which is too risky, as the generators are not kept at a safe distance.
No one can figure out the consequences, if a fuel station catches fire.
Officials of the department at the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) responsible to regulate fuel pumps admitted that the office has never monitored the safety measures at the pumps.
Ten people have died and over two dozen critically injured in separate fire incidents that took place in the valley in the last six months.
Emergency service workers like fire brigade, police, Army have not made plan to deal with the big casualties.
Gachha Magar said human fatalities in fire incidents are also on a rise in the last few months and hoarding of fuels is considered to be the main cause behind the casualties. Prolonged load-shedding hours, delay in responding to the incidents, carelessness of people, use of inverters, etc., are the other reasons for the rise in fatalities in fire accidents.
Unmanaged settlements, narrow streets, scattered electrical, cable television and telephone wires and traffic jams are the main hurdles that hinder fire fighters from reaching the accident sites immediately, the brigade said. "Also, due to prolonged load-shedding, people forget to turn off their electrical appliances which increase the risk of short circuit," he added. Fire accidents due to short-circuits have also been increasing. Fire fighters say that fires are easier to contain if they approach the site in time.
Fire fighters have been complaining that they have to tackle deadly flames with limited personal fire safety equipments. Birendra Bahadur Saud, an Armed Police Force (APF), personnel, lost his hand while dousing the fire at Mahabaudha some six weeks ago. Saud is still receiving treatment at Bir Hospital.
"Fighting a fire is like a game of death. Such is our profession. We have to deal with fires without proper personal protective equipment," commander Kunwar complained.
Most commercial establishments use counterfeit fire extinguishers
More than 95 percent of fire extinguishers at corporate houses, banks, malls and hospitals are counterfeits, officials at brigade claim. They said that such cylinders only contain ashes and cannot mitigate the risks.
"Such extinguishers can´t be relied on," said Gachha Magar. He said that most offices do not even bother to check expiry dates of the extinguishers.
"In many instances, due to lack of proper knowledge about handling such devices, fire have grown beyond control," he added.
He urged the offices and business entities to train their security guards on how to use the devices and also make sure that the equipment is original.
The brigade staffers claim that even the government offices and hospitals have not refilled or replaced cylinders years after their expiration.
INTERVIEW
Lila Raj Gachha Magar, Chief of Kathmandu Fire Brigade
What are the challenges facing the fire fighters?
Unplanned settlements are the main challenge as we cannot reach the site of accident in time. Scattered electrical, cable television and telephone wires are other hindrances that cause delays. We have to urge the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) to cut power supply of the route. That too takes some time. Traffic jams, narrow passages and dry seasons are other problems. Fire engines cannot enter some settlements.
How safe are the people in the metropolis from fire hazard?
None of us are completely safe. In the last six months, properties worth millions of rupees have been destroyed in separate fire incidents.
At many homes, people store gas, petrol, diesel and kerosene in large quantities without giving a proper thought to the risks they pose. Even a tiny spark can be deadly.
The government has given licenses without showing much prudence. Fire will spread in an uncontrolled way if a single pump catches fire.
The data of the brigade shows spike in fire incidents in the past few months. What could be the cause?
On an average, two fire incidents take place these days. With the NEA increasing the load shedding hours, the incidents have become more frequent. Inverters, used as a source of electricity by many households, give off sparks that ignite fire immediately.
Similarly, people often forget to turn off the electric appliances after electricity goes off. Such devices also contribute to the fire outbreak. Due to an unusual flow of electricity, cases of short-circuits have also been increasing.
What precautions should people take for their own safety?
I request people to not hoard fuels at home. If necessary, make sure they are stored properly at a safe distance from where they can catch fire.
Switch off all the electronic devices after use or after electricity gone off. Stay away from fires at the time of an outbreak and call fire fighters.
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