Report by Rakshit Josain (Editor)
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Fire and Emergency Services is facing a severe manpower crisis, with official departmental data showing that nearly 91% of Fire Station Officer (FSO) posts and 42% of Fire Service Driver posts remain vacant. The shortage is increasingly affecting the department’s ability to respond effectively to fire emergencies across the state.
Fire Station Officers play a critical role in leading rescue and firefighting operations immediately after an emergency is reported. Similarly, Fire Service Drivers are essential for deploying fire engines to incident sites. Without trained drivers, firefighting vehicles cannot be mobilised, regardless of the availability of equipment or firefighters.
According to the department, implementation of the Uttar Pradesh Fire and Emergency Services Act, 2022 requires the notification of new Service Rules. However, the delay in finalising these rules has stalled departmental promotions. Since key posts such as FSO and Fire Service Driver are filled only through promotion, the vacancies continue to grow, directly impacting operational efficiency and disaster response.
In view of the situation, Director General Sujeet Pandey has written to the Uttar Pradesh government, highlighting six major operational challenges and urging it to accord priority to the notification of the new Service Rules.
The department believes that expediting the process would pave the way for long-pending promotions, strengthen the workforce, and significantly improve the state’s fire and emergency response capabilities.
