Bhiwandi Fire Brigade Faces Severe Staffing Crisis With 111 Vacant Posts
The Bhiwandi Fire Brigade is currently operating with an acute manpower shortage, running on just 49 regular employees out of 160 sanctioned posts. This leaves 111 vacancies unfilled, severely overstretching the civic body's ability to combat major industrial and warehouse blazes in the Bhiwandi region of Thane.
The staffing crisis has left the Bhiwandi Municipal Corporation (BMC) Fire Department without permanent leadership. Both the Chief Fire Officer and Deputy Chief Fire Officer positions are currently being managed by officers holding additional charge.
According to official records, the shortage spans across all operational ranks. Out of 12 sanctioned posts for Sub Station Officers, only one is filled. The department has just one Driver Operator against 31 sanctioned posts, and only one Leading Fireman out of 15 sanctioned positions. For the rank of Fireman, only 46 firefighters are available out of 100 sanctioned posts.
To cope with the severe deficit, the civic administration has resorted to deploying drivers from other municipal departments to operate firefighting vehicles during emergency calls.
This manpower crisis stands in stark contrast to the department's advanced infrastructure. The BMC has procured a modern fleet of 33 operational vehicles, including an advanced rescue van, five multipurpose foam tenders, and eight fire engines. However, many of these resources cannot be fully utilised. Notably, three fire bikes purchased to navigate congested local lanes have remained idle for more than a year due to the lack of staff.
The fire brigade's jurisdiction has expanded rapidly as Bhiwandi has grown into one of India's largest logistics hubs, housing thousands of warehouses. Between 2022 and 2025, the department responded to 920 fire incidents, which included 519 cases inside Bhiwandi city and 401 in the surrounding rural areas.
During major warehouse fires, which often involve highly combustible chemicals, the understaffed local teams must rely on assistance from Thane, Kalyan, and Ulhasnagar. However, travel delays often allow fires to spread, causing extensive damage.
Meanwhile, a proposed independent fire station by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) for the rural warehouse belt remains unoperational, despite being approved in 2020.
