LAHORE: The Punjab government has issued orders for the installation of fire hydrants around all major government hospitals across the province, a move aimed at closing one of the most consequential gaps in the province’s emergency firefighting chain.
According to a spokesperson for the Punjab Housing Department, a detailed review of pre-emptive fire prevention arrangements at government hospitals will be undertaken on the directions of the Chief Minister of Punjab.
The spokesperson said that in the first phase, a list of 57 government hospitals across the province has been prepared where fire hydrants will be installed according to need. Fire hydrant infrastructure will be improved around Rural Health Centres, Tehsil Headquarters hospitals, District Headquarters hospitals and other major government hospitals.
The tiered structure being targeted is significant. RHCs, THQs and DHQs form the backbone of public healthcare delivery outside Punjab’s major cities, and many operate in older buildings on constrained plots where fire tender access and water availability have historically been afterthoughts rather than design requirements.
All Water and Sanitation Agencies have been tasked with identifying key locations and installing fire hydrants. The availability and functionality of fire hydrants already present near major government hospitals will also be immediately assessed.
That second instruction addresses a long-standing operational complaint. Firefighting crews across Pakistani cities have repeatedly reported hydrants that are buried under road resurfacing, disconnected from mains pressure, or non-functional despite appearing on municipal records — meaning a fire tender can arrive quickly and still be unable to sustain a water supply once its onboard tank is exhausted.
The spokesperson said the fire hydrant system around hospitals will be strengthened for effective firefighting, while new fire hydrants will also be installed where required.
According to the Housing Department spokesperson, full support is being extended to Rescue 1122 and other relevant departments, while the Housing Department and associated agencies will also assist in the installation of fire hydrants around hospitals.
The coordination arrangement matters because responsibility for hospital fire preparedness in Punjab is distributed across multiple bodies — the health departments own the buildings, WASA controls the water network, the Housing Department oversees urban development authorities, and Rescue 1122 responds to the emergency itself. Fragmented ownership has historically slowed remedial action.
The spokesperson said that in view of the loss of precious and innocent human lives in the tragic fire incident in Islamabad, special attention is being given to making fire prevention arrangements for major government hospitals in Punjab more effective.
The announcement runs parallel to directives issued by the Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Department requiring hospitals to verify the functional status of extinguishers, alarms, hydrants and sprinkler systems, and to submit fire safety compliance reports.
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