PANAJI
A firefighter suffered burn injuries while battling the massive blaze at Vasco’s modern market, adding to a growing list of fire personnel who have been hurt while tackling major fires in the State.
The latest injury has once again raised questions over a long-standing grievance within the Fire and Emergency Services Department -- personnel continue to face life-threatening hazards on duty. But a promised risk and hardship allowance remains stuck in the government’s approval process.
While the government has announced compensation for Vasco traders affected by the market fire, firefighters who put themselves in danger to contain such blazes are still awaiting the financial recognition promised to them.
Officials stated that the proposal for a dedicated Fire Risk Allowance has made little headway despite the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s public announcement on National Fire Service Day on April 14, 2025.
Under the proposed arrangement, personnel in Pay Level 9 and below would receive Rs 2,700 per month, while those above Level 9 would receive Rs 3,400. “The allowance is intended to recognise the risks associated with firefighting and other emergency operations, including exposure to flames, toxic smoke, unstable structures and hazardous rescue conditions,” sources said.
The wait, however, is considerably longer than the current proposal. The government had announced a similar measure in 2022, but the promised allowance has yet to materialise.
“The proposal to grant fire risk allowance as per the recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission is under consideration,” sources said, reiterating that the file must pass through several levels of administrative and financial scrutiny before a final decision.
The department has also maintained that firefighting personnel must meet stringent physical fitness standards to undertake hazardous operations, given the nature of their duties.
The issue returned to the Assembly during the last session, when MLA Premendra Shet urged the government to introduce risk allowances for firefighting staff, pointing to the physical and mental toll of responding to emergencies.
He said firefighters routinely confront open flames, toxic chemical fumes and the threat of structural collapse while also handling incidents involving uprooted trees, damaged houses, floods and industrial accidents.
“The risk allowance is necessary to compensate firefighting personnel for the high degree of physical danger and hazardous conditions they face while protecting human life and public property,” Shet said, adding that the stress of such assignments also affects their families.
Shet had further pointed out that the Union government had already implemented risk and hardship allowances for firefighting personnel and urged Goa to extend a similar benefit to its staff on priority.
