Nadeem Ahmed at 01:58, 25 January 2026

2026-01-25T01:58:15Z

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{{Short description|Indian emergency services department}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2013}}

{{Infobox fire department
| name = Karnataka Fire and Emergency Services
| logo = [[File:Karnataka Fire and Emergency Services logo.png]]
| motto = We Serve to Save
| staffing =
| established = 1964<ref name="estblog">{{cite news |url=http://www.hindu.com/2008/10/12/stories/2008101258390200.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081015230128/http://www.hindu.com/2008/10/12/stories/2008101258390200.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=15 October 2008 |title=Department of Fire Services starts blog |date= 12 October 2008 |work=[[The Hindu]] |accessdate=30 November 2013}}</ref>
| annual calls =
| strength =
| budget =
| battalions =
| stations = 168
| engines =
| trucks =
| ladders =
| quints =
| squads =
| rescues =
| bulldozers =
| airplanes =
| helicopters =
| fireboats =
| tenders =
| hazmat =
| EMSunits =
| FirstResponderBLSorALS = BLS
| chief = Sri. M.N.REDDI, IPS
| captain =
| superintendent =
| commissioner =
| district supervisor =
| website = {{URL|http://www.karnataka.gov.in/ksfes/Pages/home.aspx}}
}}
The '''Karnataka Fire and Emergency Services''' Department is a department of the [[Government of Karnataka]] that is the foremost disaster management body in [[Karnataka]], India.<ref name="aboutus">{{cite web |url=http://www.karunadu.gov.in/ksfes/about-department.html |title=About The Department |work=KARNATAKA STATE FIRE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES DEPARTMENT |date=5 September 2011 |accessdate=27 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202230846/http://www.karunadu.gov.in/ksfes/about-department.html |archive-date=2 December 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="untrained">{{cite news |url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-02-19/bangalore/37179285_1_fire-brigade-fire-incidents-diver |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130223014442/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-02-19/bangalore/37179285_1_fire-brigade-fire-incidents-diver |url-status=dead |archive-date=23 February 2013 |title=Fire brigade doesn't have an expert diver |date=19 February 2013 |location=Bangalore |work=[[The Times of India]] |accessdate=28 November 2013}}</ref>

“The Karnataka State Fire and Emergency Services is headed by the '''Director General of Fire and Emergency Services''', an [[Indian Police Service|IPS]] officer of [[Director general (police)|Director General of Police]] (DGP) rank, appointed by the government. The Director General also serves as the Commandant General of [[Home guard|Home Guards]] and as the Director General of the State Disaster Response Force and [[Civil defense|Civil Defence]].<ref name="aboutus" />

== Background ==

[[File:Fire Engine Bangalore.JPG|thumb|right|300px|A fire truck in Bangalore]]

All buildings in the state are required to obtain a compliance certificate for fire safety from the department.<ref name="NOC">{{cite news |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/a-third-of-citys-high-rises-have-no-nocs-from-fire-department/article4446961.ece |title=A third of city's high rises have no NOCs from Fire Department |first=Chitra |last=Ramani |date= 24 February 2013 |accessdate=30 November 2013}}</ref> The department has the right to recommend the withdrawal of licences to commercial structures that do not have proper fire fighting equipment on their premises.<ref name="rightrecommend">{{cite news |url=http://www.hindu.com/2007/02/18/stories/2007021808270300.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080430121027/http://www.hindu.com/2007/02/18/stories/2007021808270300.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=30 April 2008 |title=45 fire stations to be set up in State |date= 18 February 2007 |work=[[The Hindu]] |accessdate=1 December 2013}}</ref>

The department has a sanctioned strength of 6,448 personnel.<ref name="aboutpdf">{{cite web |url=http://www.karunadu.gov.in/ksfes/docs/ksfes-note-abt-dept.pdf |title=ABOUT KARNATAKA STATE FIRE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES DEPARTMENT |page=4 |date=5 September 2011 |accessdate=27 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203001825/http://www.karunadu.gov.in/ksfes/docs/ksfes-note-abt-dept.pdf |archive-date=3 December 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 2009, the government announced that all [[taluk]]s in the state would have fire stations.<ref name="alltaluks">{{cite news |url=http://www.hindu.com/2009/05/07/stories/2009050752480300.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203055825/http://www.hindu.com/2009/05/07/stories/2009050752480300.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 December 2013 |title=All taluks in State to have fire stations soon |date=7 May 2009 |location=Madikeri |work=[[The Hindu]] |accessdate=1 December 2013}}</ref>
As of 2011, the department had 168 [[fire stations]] across Karnataka,<ref name="stations">{{cite news |url=http://www.hindu.com/2011/02/20/stories/2011022062870300.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110225223800/http://www.hindu.com/2011/02/20/stories/2011022062870300.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=25 February 2011 |title=Seven more fire stations to come up in city |work=[[The Hindu]] |accessdate=28 November 2013 |date=20 February 2011 |location=Bangalore}}</ref> while 31 more were sanctioned in 2012.<ref name="morestations">{{cite news |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/state-to-get-31-new-fire-stations/article3600825.ece |title=State to get 31 new fire stations |date=4 July 2012 |location=Mysore |work=[[The Hindu]] |accessdate=29 November 2013}}</ref>
In 2011, [[Infosys]] built a {{convert|21417|m2|sqft|adj=on}} fire station at [[Hebbal, Mysore]] at a cost of {{INR}} 45 million for the department.<ref name="stateoftheart">{{cite news |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/stateoftheart-fire-station-complex-inaugurated-at-hebbal/article1096422.ece |title=State-of-the-art fire station complex inaugurated at Hebbal |date=17 January 2011 |location=Mysore |work=[[The Hindu]] |accessdate=2 December 2013}}</ref>

The department also owns rescue vans in Bangalore, Mangalore, Gulbarga, Mysore, Mandya, Chamrjanagar, and Hassan.<ref name="advanced">{{cite news |url=http://www.hindu.com/2004/05/30/stories/2004053013430300.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040604173011/http://www.hindu.com/2004/05/30/stories/2004053013430300.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 June 2004 |title=Bangalore may get advanced fire-fighting vehicle |date= 30 May 2004 |work=[[The Hindu]] |accessdate=30 November 2013}}</ref><ref name="rescuevans">{{cite news |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/several-districts-in-state-to-get-modern-fire-rescue-vans/article2708115.ece |title=Several districts in State to get modern fire rescue vans |date= 12 December 2011 |first=Shankar |last=Bennur|accessdate=30 November 2013}}</ref>

The department owns a [[pumper]] that was built by [[Dennis Specialist Vehicles|Dennis Brothers]] and delivered to the erstwhile [[Kingdom of Mysore]] in 1925 from England. It is the only petrol driven vehicle in the fleet and is brought out only during parades and rallies.<ref name="dennis">{{cite news |url=http://www.hindu.com/2011/04/13/stories/2011041360560200.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110418060944/http://www.hindu.com/2011/04/13/stories/2011041360560200.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 April 2011 |title=This Dennis is far from being a menace |work=[[The Hindu]] |accessdate=28 November 2013 |date= 13 April 2011 |first=Priyanka |last=Govindarajulu}}</ref> The department also owns a Bronto Skylift to reach the higher storeys of tall buildings in Bangalore.<ref name="ladded">{{cite news |url=http://www.hindu.com/2011/04/14/stories/2011041461030200.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110731030334/http://www.hindu.com/2011/04/14/stories/2011041461030200.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=31 July 2011 |title=High-tech ladder takes Fire Services Department to new heights |first=Shiva Kumar |last=MT |work=[[The Hindu]] |accessdate=28 November 2013 |date=14 April 2011}}</ref> The department owns similar equipment in the cities of [[Hubli]] and [[Mangalore]].<ref name="newengine">{{cite news |url=http://www.hindu.com/2011/04/02/stories/2011040263190500.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203044501/http://www.hindu.com/2011/04/02/stories/2011040263190500.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 December 2013 |title=Hi-tech fire engine for Mangalore |work=[[The Hindu]] |date=2 April 2011 |accessdate=28 November 2013 |location=Mangalore}}</ref> Due to the lack of working fire hydrants in [[Bangalore]] city, the department has acquired two high capacity water tankers to send in case of massive fires.<ref name="showpiece">{{cite news |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/fire-hydrants-now-a-showpiece/article2926593.ece |title=Fire hydrants now a showpiece |first=Mohit |last=Rao |work=[[The Hindu]] |date=24 February 2012 |accessdate=2 December 2013 |location=Bangalore}}</ref>

The department was one of the rescue agencies during the [[Air India Express Flight 812|2010 Mangalore air crash]].<ref name="aircrash">{{cite news |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/role-of-fire-services-in-the-mangalore-air-crash/article435533.ece |title=Role of fire services in the Mangalore air crash |first=Raghava |last=M |date= 22 May 2010 |accessdate=28 November 2013 |work=[[The Hindu]]}}</ref>

[[File:Mangalore fire station, Mangaladevi.jpg|thumb|300px|left|A fire station in Mangalore]]

== Criticism ==
A report released by the [[Comptroller and Auditor General of India]] stated that the department was ill-prepared to handle emergency situations due to the lack of standard operating procedures.<ref name="illprepared">{{cite news
|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/south/story/karnataka-fire-service-dept-woefully-ill-prepared-cag-97766-2012-03-31 |title=Karnataka fire service dept woefully ill-prepared: CAG |date=1 April 2012 |access-date=29 November 2013}}</ref>

The department relies on groundwater reservoirs of the [[Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board]] to fill water due to the lack of [[fire hydrants]] in Bangalore city. 400 fire hydrants have been reported to have gone missing since the 1980s.<ref name="NOC" />

== References ==
{{commons category}}
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.karnataka.gov.in/ksfes/Pages/home.aspx Karnataka State Fire and Emergency Services]

{{Firefighting in India}}

[[Category:Fire departments of India]]
[[Category:State agencies of Karnataka]]
[[Category:1964 establishments in Mysore State]]

Karnataka Fire and Emergency Services - Revision history

Nadeem Ahmed at 01:58, 25 January 2026