Fire Service Week, observed every year from April 14 to 20 in India, provides a solemn yet vital opportunity for authorities to recalibrate their approach toward public safety through a deeper engagement with communities. While the official purpose of the week includes remembrance of those lost—particularly the firefighters who perished during the 1944 Bombay Dock explosion—it must also function as a practical, forward-looking campaign. In Jammu and Kashmir, where the Fire and Emergency Services Department responded to over 6,700 calls in 2024 alone, including numerous structural fires and dozens of rescue missions, the urgency of rethinking how this week is conducted becomes self-evident. The injuries sustained by 23 personnel during operations further reflect the persistent danger faced by those on the frontlines. Authorities should not limit Fire Service Week to ritualised observance or token awareness sessions. It ought to be a period of heightened visibility for the fire service, one that merges commemoration with active public interface and drills that mirror real-life urgency. Instead of limiting their reach to schools and health institutions alone, the department must open up operations to the wider public through live mock drills in marketplaces, residential colonies, and government offices. There must be direct involvement from local municipal bodies and district administrators, who should not only attend but also facilitate the implementation of fire preparedness norms throughout the week. An often overlooked component is the gap between policy and public practice. Authorities should use this week to enforce compliance, not only through fire safety audits but by ensuring that the gaps identified during the year are openly addressed with timelines and accountability. With nearly 4,900 fire service audits conducted in the past year, the data gathered is not just a formality—it must be translated into action. Government buildings, commercial complexes, and housing colonies that have ignored these audit findings should face strict directives, not passive recommendations. Awareness, in the most practical sense, is behavioural change. It’s not enough to distribute leaflets or air public service announcements. During Fire Service Week, local officials must conduct walk-throughs of residential areas, demonstrating in real-time how to handle LPG leaks, short circuits, and heating equipment—all of which have been the primary causes of fire incidents in the region. Firefighters themselves, not just officers or bureaucrats, should take centre stage. Their presence and firsthand accounts can humanise the risks and demystify the profession for the general population. Further, authorities should use the week to conduct open feedback sessions. Communities that have experienced fire-related incidents can offer insights that seldom make it into policy planning rooms. These lived experiences are critical to understanding which safety protocols work in practice and which do not. Involving citizen voices can also restore a sense of shared responsibility, which is often absent from top-down campaigns. Moreover, this week should also be a moment for internal reckoning within the Fire and Emergency Services Department itself. A transparent public report on the status of equipment, manpower gaps, and resource needs should be presented, not buried in official files. Later, political and administrative heads must attend and respond publicly to these disclosures.
Fire Forward
