HCMC’s firefighting police reinforced

Over the past two years, 3,048 fire cases have been reported in HCMC, killing 32 people, injuring 87 people and causing an estimated material loss of VND 375 billion. The Firefighting Department of the city directly participated in 841 firefighting operations and 445 rescue operations, saved 136 people and found remains of 103 victims.

During the 2 years implementing Directive No. 47-CT / TW, HCMC invested VND 1,103.4 billion in 36 projects to build facilities and furniture equipment and devices for the city’s fighting and rescue force as well as for city-level agencies and districts across the city. Many modern technologies, techniques and facilities were invested in, including fire engines, tunnel rescue vehicles, chemical treatment vehicles while application of information and telecommunications technologies in the administrative work.

Deputy Minister Bui Van Thanh expressed his concern that HCMC still faces some limitations in terms of technical infrastructure planning for fire prevention and fighting, including unstandardized traffic conditions and insufficient water supplies for fire prevention and fighting.

In order to effectively implement Directive No. 47-CT/TW of the Secretariat and Directive No. 31-CT/TU of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee, as well as the project “Planning the fire prevention and fighting sector in HCMC towards 2025,” the Standing Board of the Party Committee of HCMC asked the concerned units to focus on the establishment of fire prevention police offices in 6 districts which still lacked an official fire office; and agreed on the allocation of capital for the project.

The People’s Committees of districts are asked to review the situation and coordinate with relevant city-level agencies to form more professional fire prevention teams to shorten the time of deploying forces in case of fire and improve the effectiveness of fire prevention and fighting in the area.