Lok Sabha Question No. 1199 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-30
Subject: Incidents of Fire
Ministry: HOME AFFAIRS
Asked by: Shri Gaurav Gogoi, Shri Shafi Parambil

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1199

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 30 TH  JULY, 2024/ SHRAVAN 8, 1946 (SAKA)

INCIDENTS OF FIRE

1199      SHRI GAURAV GOGOI: SHRI SHAFI PARAMBIL:

Will the Minister of HOME AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) the number of deaths caused due to incidents of fire in the country since 2014, year-wise;
- (b) the total number of fire stations in the country, State-wise;
- (c) the number of staff required versus staff available in the emergency fire services in the country;
- (d) whether the Government proposes to increase the staff capacity in order to meet emergencies, if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) whether the emergency firefighting services face a shortage of equipment in the country, if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS (SHRI NITYANAND RAI)

(a) to (c) Fire  Services  is  a  State  subject  and  has  been  included  as municipal function in Article 243 (W) of XII Schedule of the Constitution of India.  It  is  the  primary  responsibility  of  the  State  Governments  to  ensure safety of life and property of the citizens in the area of their jurisdiction and to take necessary measures for strengthening and equipping Fire Services in order to prevent the fire incidences.

The Central Government does not maintain data related to fire accidents/incidents  in  States,  number  of  fire  stations  /  fire  personnel  etc. centrally. However, the data regarding the fire incidents and deaths due to it in  the  country  since  2014  as  reported  by  the  States/Union  Territories  to National  Crime  Record  Bureau  is  at  Annexure -I.    The  total  number  of  fire stations in the country, state-wise available as on 31.12.2018 is at Annexure-II.    Directorate  General  (Fire  Service,  Civil  Defence  and  Home Guards) had engaged M/s RMSI to carry out Fire Hazard and Risk Analysis for Revamping the Fire Services in the Country which submitted its report in the year 2012. The details of total number of available staffs as on 31.12.2018 vis-à-vis  the  requirement  of  staff  as  detailed  in  the  RMSI  report  are  at Annexure-III.

(d) to (e) Fire being State subject, it is responsibility of the State Governments to consider increase in the staff capacity and the requirement of the equipment as per their respective needs.

However, Fifteenth Finance Commission, while noting lack of resources and equipment for the fire services in the country and recognizing the need for expansion and modernization of Fire Services, has recommended a provision of Rs.5,000 crore for strengthening fire services at the State level. Therefore,

Central Government has launched a 'Scheme for Expansion and Modernization  of  Fire  Services  in  the  States'  on  04.07.2023  with  a  total Central outlay of Rs. 5000 Crore.

The  measures  included  in  the  scheme  provides  setting  up  of  new  fire stations,  strengthening  of  State  Training  Centres  and  capacity  building  as well as provisions for procurement of modern fire-fighting equipment/vehicles by the States. The detailed scheme is available at https://www.mha.gov.in/en/commoncontent/policies-guidelines.

******

Fire Incidence in the country since 2014 (As  reported  by  the  States/Union  Territories  to  National  Crime  Record Bureau)

| Year   | Number of Incidents and Deaths   | Number of Incidents and Deaths   |
|--------|----------------------------------|----------------------------------|
|        | Incidents                        | Deaths                           |
| 2014   | 20377                            | 19513                            |
| 2015   | 18450                            | 17700                            |
| 2016   | 16695                            | 16900                            |
| 2017   | 13397                            | 13159                            |
| 2018   | 13099                            | 12748                            |
| 2019   | 11037                            | 10915                            |
| 2020   | 9329                             | 9110                             |
| 2021   | 8491                             | 8348                             |
| 2022   | 7566                             | 7435                             |

Number of Available Fire Stations in States/UTs as on 31.12.2018

|   S. No | Name of the State/ UT     |   Fire Station (In Number) |
|---------|---------------------------|----------------------------|
|       1 | Andaman & Nicobar Islands |                         24 |
|       2 | Andhra Pradesh            |                        251 |
|       3 | Arunachal Pradesh         |                         19 |
|       4 | Assam                     |                        124 |
|       5 | Bihar                     |                        107 |
|       6 | Chandigarh                |                          7 |
|       7 | Chhattisgarh              |                         33 |
|       8 | Dadra & Nagar Haveli*     |                          1 |
|       9 | Daman & Diu*              |                          3 |
|      10 | Delhi                     |                         53 |
|      11 | Goa                       |                         15 |
|      12 | Gujarat                   |                        183 |
|      13 | Haryana                   |                         82 |
|      14 | Himachal Pradesh          |                         25 |
|      15 | Jammu & Kashmir #         |                        175 |
|      16 | Jharkhand                 |                         33 |
|      17 | Karnataka                 |                        195 |
|      18 | Kerala                    |                        100 |
|      19 | Lakshadweep               |                          4 |
|      20 | Madhya Pradesh            |                        292 |
|      21 | Maharashtra               |                        157 |
|      22 | Manipur                   |                         16 |
|      23 | Meghalaya                 |                         36 |
|      24 | Mizoram                   |                         12 |
|      25 | Nagaland                  |                         13 |
|      26 | Odisha                    |                        340 |
|      27 | Puducherry                |                         13 |
|      28 | Punjab                    |                         48 |
|      29 | Rajasthan                 |                        126 |
|      30 | Sikkim                    |                         10 |
|      31 | Tamil Nadu                |                        315 |
|      32 | Telangana                 |                         95 |
|      33 | Tripura                   |                         40 |
|      34 | Uttar Pradesh             |                        253 |
|      35 | Uttarakhand               |                         35 |
|      36 | West Bengal               |                        142 |

Total number of Fire services staff as on 31.12.2018 vis-à-vis the requirement of staff as per RMSI report, 2012

|   S. No. | Name of the State/UT      |   Available Manpower |   Number of staff required (as per RMSI Report 2012) |
|----------|---------------------------|----------------------|------------------------------------------------------|
|        1 | Andaman & Nicobar Islands |                  522 |                                                 1023 |
|        2 | Andhra Pradesh            |                 2704 |                                                20063 |
|        3 | Arunachal Pradesh         |                  344 |                                                 2905 |
|        4 | Assam                     |                 2382 |                                                15969 |
|        5 | Bihar                     |                 1184 |                                                45712 |
|        6 | Chandigarh                |                  238 |                                                  672 |
|        7 | Chhattisgarh              |                  148 |                                                 3893 |
|        8 | Dadra & Nagar Haveli *    |                   19 |                                                  546 |
|        9 | Daman & Diu *             |                  104 |                                                  540 |
|       10 | Delhi                     |                 1632 |                                                 6052 |
|       11 | Goa                       |                  776 |                                                  896 |
|       12 | Gujarat                   |                 1447 |                                                34240 |
|       13 | Haryana                   |                  574 |                                                14388 |
|       14 | Himachal Pradesh          |                  335 |                                                 4942 |
|       15 | Jammu & Kashmir #         |                 2348 |                                                 7231 |
|       16 | Jharkhand                 |                  402 |                                                 4645 |
|       17 | Karnataka                 |                 4329 |                                                29736 |
|       18 | Kerala                    |                 2427 |                                                15292 |
|       19 | Lakshadweep               |                   82 |                                                  422 |
|       20 | Madhya Pradesh            |                  964 |                                                40327 |
|       21 | Maharashtra               |                 5240 |                                                48078 |
|       22 | Manipur                   |                  245 |                                                 2357 |
|       23 | Meghalaya                 |                  875 |                                                 2552 |
|       24 | Mizoram                   |                  209 |                                                 1997 |
|       25 | Nagaland                  |                  570 |                                                 2843 |
|       26 | Odisha                    |                 2606 |                                                21170 |
|       27 | Puducherry                |                  236 |                                                  876 |
|       28 | Punjab                    |                  579 |                                                15668 |
|       29 | Rajasthan                 |                 1158 |                                                29937 |
|       30 | Sikkim                    |                  154 |                                                 1213 |
|       31 | Tamil Nadu                |                 5408 |                                                31269 |
|       32 | Telangana                 |                 1572 |                                                17000 |
|       33 | Tripura                   |                 1500 |                                                 1019 |
|       34 | Uttar Pradesh             |                 4613 |                                                84479 |
|       35 | Uttarakhand               |                 1112 |                                                 5491 |
|       36 | West Bengal               |                 5201 |                                                41680 |

*******