More work, less salary; Kerala Fire Force facing severe neglect

ALAPPUZHA: The Fire Force, which is being hailed by the whole of Kerala after the rescue operation in Amayizhanchan Thodu, has been neglected by the government in matters including salary. The fire force has a lower pay scale than the police who pass the equivalent qualification, examination and physical test under the same department.

It was same pay scale till 2012. In the subsequent pay commission revision, the basic salary was reduced by Rs 3200 from that of the police. The pay commission's finding that the workload of the police is higher became a setback. There is an allegation in the force that they could not explain the workload in front of the pay commission.

The risk-uniform allowance is also lower than that of the police. Fire force uniforms wear out faster than police uniforms. Therefore, the fire force wants the government to pay two allowances for uniforms every year. The current allowance is Rs 5500 per annum.

Meanwhile, the fire force was excluded from the new list of customers of the police canteen of the centre. Although the fire force in Kerala is under the home department, the situation is different elsewhere. With this, the benefit of subsidized goods has also disappeared.

The fire force does not even have its own manual. The Fire Force Act passed by the legislature in 1963 has not yet become a law. It is alleged that the failure of the chiefs to give recommendations is an obstacle to the formulation of the rules. Even in cases of fire, there is no authority to issue notices or prepare FIRs.

500 for scuba diver

• 500 rupees for scuba diving which is a difficult task
• There is no separate insurance for diving.
• Risk Allowance- 200 Rs
• Fire stations in Kerala-127
• Employees- 5,000

Basic Salary

Fire Force- 27,900

Police-31,100

Heads of Departments should make recommendations to the Government from time to time. The fire department, which has a high risk of accidents and illnesses, is severely neglected.

- K.K. Surendran,

Former state president, Kerala Fire Service Association