Firemen on strike, roadways staffers and homeguards called in for help in Gurgaon

Gurgaon: For three weeks, 182 contractual firemen, including 46 from Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam, have been on an indefinite strike in the city. Across Haryana, the number of such firemen on strike is over 2,000. This has left the fire department in the city to work with only around 45 regular staffers to respond to 30 distress calls on an average daily across seven fire stations in Sector 29, Sector 37, Bhim Nagar, Udyog Vihar, Manesar, Pataudi and Sohna.

The fire department is banking on 51 Haryana Roadways drivers to drive fire engines, and civil defence volunteers, home guards and fire staff of private companies such as DLF, Haldiram, Hero and M3M, who are accompanying regular personnel to fire sites. They are being trained at the Sector 29 fire station, along with civil defence volunteers.

The strain has become visible through a series of incidents. On April 21, a fire tender driven by a substitute driver went out of control and crashed into the wall of a house in Yamunanagar, injuring a home guard seated beside him. On April 26 in Sirsa's Ellenabad, a fire tender driven by a Haryana Roadways driver hit a motorcycle near Panchmukhi Chowk and crushed it, though the rider escaped. A day later, in Faridabad's Sector 15A, a home guard suffered injuries requiring 15 stitches after a heavy fire pipe fell on his foot during an operation. On April 10, farmers in Hisar blocked a road to protest the fire department's delayed response after their crops were damaged in a blaze.

The strike extends across Haryana and has paralysed routine firefighting operations. The protesting firemen are demanding ₹1 crore compensation in case of accidental death, a govt job for one family member, and martyr status for those who die in the line of duty, on par with benefits given to policemen.

Twenty-two days after the strike began, Haryana govt has yet to open talks with protesters, who say they will not return to work till their demands are met.

The crisis has exposed two simultaneous battles in Haryana this summer — one against rapidly spreading fires and another within the firefighting system itself, where a prolonged labour protest has pushed an already fragile network to the edge.

The unrest traces back to a Feb 16 blaze at Shiv Steel Company and Kalkaji Lubricants in Faridabad. The fire claimed six lives, including firemen Ranveer and Bhavi Chand and police SI Ravi, and left 37 people with burn injuries.

Ranveer was hurled into the air and slammed against a fire tender parked outside. Bhavi Chand was trapped inside, crawled out with severe injuries, and then collapsed. Three policemen, including SI Ravi, were also caught in the blast. Ranveer, Bhavi Chand and Ravi later died during treatment. For many in the department, the tragedy marked a breaking point.

Senior officers said this arrangement has slowed response times and complicated operations. Most volunteers are not trained to enter burning structures, which limits rescue efforts. A request made on April 7 for 150 home guards was rejected because they were already deployed for law and order duties with police. Fire officers said operating fire tender systems such as the "power takeoff," used to control power and run water pumps or hydraulic tools, requires training and experience.

"We walk into fire knowing we may not come back. But if we die, our families are left with nothing. When others run away, we enter the fire ring," said Sunil, a contractual fireman.

The strike is rooted in long-standing grievances. In addition to compensation and martyr status, contractual firemen are demanding cashless medical treatment, a ₹5,000 monthly risk allowance, an increase in annual dress allowance from ₹3,000 to ₹7,500, a ₹500 monthly laundry allowance, filling 3,200 vacant fire operator posts by absorbing experienced personnel, and a salary revision that has remained pending since 2021. Most contractual workers in the city earn between ₹25,000 and ₹30,000 a month, with lower wages in other districts.

Union representatives said repeated efforts to engage the govt, including urban local bodies minister Vipul Goel, have borne no result. District fire union president Sahun Khan said the protest would continue and accused the govt of ignoring workers who risk their lives every day. Firemen on strike said dependence on untrained personnel during the crisis only underlines their argument that firefighting is a specialised and high-risk profession requiring skill, experience and proper equipment. Despite repeated attempts, urban local bodies minister Vipul Goel did not respond.

Even before the strike, the department was struggling with serious infrastructure shortages. Fire stations lack adequate fire suits and safety gear, including gum boots, helmets with working batteries, and essential equipment in fire vehicles.

A senior fire officer said, "Each fire tender is ideally supposed to have a team of six, but that standard is rarely met. The challenge is even more acute in a rapidly urbanising city like Gurgaon, which has around 2,000 high-rise buildings above 15 metres, yet lacks a functional hydraulic ladder to tackle fires on upper floors. A 42-metre ladder has remained defunct for years, forcing reliance on private infrastructure such as 90-metre hydraulic platforms available with DLF in emergencies."

As temperatures rise and fire incidents increase, a combination of staff shortages, inadequate equipment and ongoing strike is making delays routine and multiplying risks across the state.

Consequences are already proving deadly. A 31-year-old warehouse supervisor who suffered burn injuries in the April 21 fire at a shoe factory in Kherki Daula died during treatment after three days at AIIMS Delhi.

"The Faridabad tragedy is not just a story of an industrial accident. It is a reminder of what happens when those who protect lives are left unprotected. As flames rise across Haryana this summer, the question is no longer about demands or negotiations. It is about how long a system can keep burning before it collapses," said Joginder, a contractual fireman at Sector 37 fire station and a union leader.
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