Vidarbha Firefighters Overwhelmed by Staff Shortages and Long Hours

thenewsdirt
Aug 26
8 min read

Fire services across the Vidarbha region face unprecedented challenges that compromise emergency response capabilities and place extraordinary burdens on personnel. The reality for firefighters in this part of Maharashtra reveals systematic shortages, infrastructure inadequacies, and working conditions that threaten public safety while endangering the well-being of those who risk their lives to protect communities.

Municipal fire departments throughout Vidarbha operate with skeletal crews that struggle to meet basic operational requirements. The most glaring evidence comes from Nagpur, where the fire department functions with just 126 regular personnel against an authorised strength of 872 positions across 14 cadres. This represents a staggering 80 per cent vacancy rate that leaves critical posts unfilled.

The personnel shortage manifests dramatically at the frontline level. Against 500 sanctioned posts for firemen across Nagpur's fire stations, only 37 permanent staff are on duty, supported by 56 contractual workers.

Five key fire stations, including Civil Lines, Trimurti Nagar, Lakadganj, Pachpaoli, and the Regional Fire Training Centre at Kalamna, operate without station officers. This absence of supervisory leadership creates dangerous operational gaps during major emergencies.

Excessive Working Hours and Operational Strain

The severe staffing shortage forces existing firefighters into exhausting work schedules that exceed safe operational limits.

Rather than the prescribed three-shift rotation system that would ensure round-the-clock coverage whilst providing adequate rest periods, most firemen work 12 to 14 hours daily without sufficient recovery time.

This extended duty pattern violates standard fire service protocols and places personnel at considerable risk during emergency responses.

Two newly opened fire stations in Nagpur, at Pardi and Wathoda, illustrate the extent of the crisis. Instead of operating continuously as emergency services should, these stations function only from 10 AM to 6 PM due to insufficient staffing.

The remainder of their operational hours depend on support from other units, creating coverage gaps across the city.

The workload extends beyond firefighting to encompass a range of emergency responses.

Firefighters in Vidarbha regularly handle building collapses, flooding incidents, tree removal, and technical rescue operations.

During monsoon periods, demands increase substantially as departments face calls related to waterlogging, structural failures, and weather-related emergencies.

Training Infrastructure and Development

Despite the challenges, Vidarbha hosts significant training infrastructure for fire services. The Regional Fire Training Centre at Kalamna stands as the only municipal-operated fire training institute in the region.

Established in 2016, this facility spans 10,883 square metres and features comprehensive training amenities including dormitories, classrooms, practical drill areas, and demonstration facilities.

The centre has produced qualified firefighters through 14 training batches over nine years, with graduates now serving across Maharashtra and beyond. Training programmes consist of six-month courses conducted in two annual batches running from January to July and from July to December.

Successful candidates receive certification from the Maharashtra State Board of Technical Education.

Recent infrastructure improvements include a state-of-the-art swimming pool constructed at a cost of ₹1.39 crore, designed to enhance physical conditioning and water rescue training capabilities.

The facility measures 25 by 15 metres with depths ranging from 1 to 3 metres, equipped with filtration systems to maintain operational standards.

The presence of multiple fire safety training institutions in Nagpur, including the National Fire Service College, Institute of Fire Engineers, and various private academies, provides educational opportunities. However, the gap between training capacity and actual recruitment needs remains substantial due to prolonged bureaucratic delays in filling vacant positions.

The recruitment process for fire service positions faces significant administrative bottlenecks that prolong staffing shortages.

Despite preparing proposals to hire 350 new personnel, the Urban Development Department has delayed approval for over a year.

Municipal authorities submitted revised proposals in January 2024 following Bombay High Court directives regarding height requirements for female candidates, yet clearance remains pending.

Similar delays affect promotional opportunities within existing ranks. A proposal to promote 34 qualified personnel has remained with the municipal commissioner's office for over a month, whilst 679 posts across various cadres remain vacant. These administrative delays prevent departments from utilising available human resources effectively and maintain operational gaps.

The prolonged recruitment freeze has forced departments to explore alternative staffing arrangements. Nagpur Municipal Corporation approved the temporary appointment of 100 trained disaster management personnel for four months during the monsoon season, acknowledging the critical shortage while permanent solutions remain stalled.

Equipment Modernisation and Infrastructure Development

Fire departments across Vidarbha are investing in equipment modernisation to enhance operational capabilities.

Nagpur Municipal Corporation has approved the procurement of 14 new fire tenders valued at ₹16.49 crore, including vehicles with varying water capacities from 2,000 to 16,000 litres.

Additionally, a 70-metre hydraulic platform costing ₹19.29 crore has been acquired to address high-rise emergencies.

The modernisation programme includes specialised equipment such as 14 chainsaws for storm damage response and five inflatable rescue boats for flood operations. These investments reflect growing recognition that emergency services must adapt to evolving urban challenges and extreme weather events.

Current fleet capabilities include 27 emergency vehicles across operational fire stations, though this remains insufficient for comprehensive city coverage. The department's development plan calls for expansion to 22 fire stations in various areas, including Jaitala, Borgaon, Chinchbhavan, and Shankar Nagar, to improve response coverage.

Safety equipment procurement has extended beyond firefighting apparatus to include technical rescue tools, cutting equipment, and personal protective gear. However, the effectiveness of new equipment depends heavily on adequate staffing levels to operate and maintain these resources properly.

Incident Statistics and Response Challenges

Fire departments in Vidarbha handle substantial emergency call volumes that test their limited resources.

Between April 2021 and October 2024, Nagpur recorded 2,852 fire-related calls, with West Nagpur accounting for 583 cases, representing the highest concentration of incidents.

Civil Lines fire station, covering this area, consistently manages the largest share of emergency responses.

Property losses from fire incidents have increased dramatically despite declining call volumes in some areas. West Nagpur reported property damage rising from ₹74.60 lakh in 2021 to ₹6.37 crore in the first ten months of 2024, indicating the growing severity of fire incidents. These figures reflect both the economic impact of fires and the challenges facing response teams.

Specific types of incidents reveal patterns of risk across the region. Garbage fires have surged by 78.8 per cent over three years, rising from 33 incidents in early 2022 to 59 in 2024.

The first two months of 2025 alone recorded 26 garbage fire incidents, suggesting a continued escalation of this particular hazard.

Forest fire incidents across Vidarbha's seven forest circles between 2019 and 2023 destroyed 77,800 hectares of land, representing 60.63 per cent of the total forest area lost statewide. These fires place additional demands on firefighting resources and require specialised response capabilities.

Working Conditions and Personnel Welfare

Firefighters in Vidarbha operate under conditions that compromise both personal safety and service effectiveness. Extended working hours without adequate rest periods increase the risk of errors during critical operations.

Personnel frequently work through designated meal breaks and sleep periods due to emergency call demands, affecting their physical and mental health.

The absence of station officers at multiple locations means firefighters often work without immediate supervisory support, making tactical decisions that should involve experienced leadership. This situation places tremendous responsibility on junior personnel whilst creating potential liability issues during major incidents.

Research indicates that firefighters face elevated risks for depression, alcohol use disorders, sleep deprivation, post-traumatic stress, and suicidal ideation compared to the general population. The demanding work environment, combined with exposure to traumatic incidents and organisational stressors, creates perfect conditions for mental health problems to emerge.

Training opportunities exist through various institutions, but ongoing professional development faces constraints due to staffing shortages that prevent personnel from attending courses without compromising operational coverage. This limitation affects career advancement prospects and skill development within the service.

The staffing crisis directly affects public safety across Vidarbha's urban and rural areas. Response times may extend beyond acceptable standards when available units are committed to other incidents, particularly during periods of high emergency activity. The concentration of resources in major urban centres like Nagpur can leave outlying areas with reduced coverage.

Fire safety compliance enforcement suffers due to personnel shortages, with departments unable to conduct adequate inspections of commercial and residential properties. This situation perpetuates fire risk conditions and reduces the effectiveness of prevention programmes that could reduce emergency call volumes.

Community awareness initiatives face resource constraints as departments focus personnel on emergency response rather than public education activities.

Fire safety programmes in schools and community centres require staffing commitments that many departments cannot provide whilst maintaining operational readiness.

The establishment of 'Aapda Mitra' (Emergency Friends) programmes represents an attempt to supplement professional firefighter capabilities with trained community volunteers. However, citizen response to these initiatives has been limited, indicating challenges in building community-based emergency response capacity.

Regional Coordination and Resource Sharing

Fire services across Vidarbha operate largely independently, with limited formal mechanisms for resource sharing during major emergencies. This fragmentation prevents optimal utilisation of available personnel and equipment across municipal boundaries.

Regional coordination could improve overall emergency response capability whilst reducing individual department burdens.

The presence of specialised training facilities and equipment in Nagpur provides opportunities for resource sharing, but administrative boundaries and funding mechanisms often prevent effective collaboration between different municipal fire departments. Enhanced regional cooperation could maximise the value of infrastructure investments.

Mutual aid agreements between departments remain informal, relying on personal relationships rather than structured protocols. This situation creates uncertainty during large-scale emergencies that exceed individual department capabilities and require coordinated multi-agency responses.

The condition of firefighters in Vidarbha reflects broader challenges facing emergency services throughout India. Rapid urbanisation increases fire risks whilst generating demand for more sophisticated response capabilities.

Climate change effects, including extreme weather events and prolonged dry seasons, add new dimensions to firefighting challenges.

Population growth across Vidarbha cities outpaces the expansion of fire services, creating greater coverage areas per firefighter and longer response distances. This trend threatens to worsen existing service gaps unless recruitment and infrastructure development accelerate significantly.

Budget constraints at the municipal level limit departments' ability to address staffing shortages through competitive compensation packages or enhanced working conditions.

Long-term sustainability of fire services requires addressing both immediate operational needs and underlying resource limitations.

The current trajectory suggests that without substantial intervention, fire services across Vidarbha will continue operating under crisis conditions that compromise public safety whilst placing unsustainable demands on personnel. Addressing these challenges requires coordinated action across administrative levels and sustained commitment to emergency service development.