Karachi’s city administration has decided to launch a dedicated mobile app to centralize fire safety data for commercial buildings, shopping centers and major public venues in a bid to improve emergency response across the city.
The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Commissioner Syed Hassan Naqvi, which reviewed progress on the ongoing fire safety audit of commercial buildings.
Officials said the new app will bring together data from all departments involved in disaster management and fire safety. In case of an emergency, rescue agencies will be able to access real-time information about a building’s safety arrangements and available facilities through a central dashboard, allowing faster and more coordinated action.
The meeting was told that sub-divisional fire safety audit committees, working under assistant commissioners, are continuing surveys of commercial buildings, shopping centers and other major public facilities across Karachi.
So far, more than 800 buildings have been surveyed and their data uploaded to the Fire Safety Audit Portal. Officials said notices have already been issued to buildings found in violation of safety standards, directing them to remove shortcomings without delay.
Participants also discussed adding more information to the system to further strengthen rescue and disaster response capacity. The additional data is expected to help agencies respond more effectively during fires and other emergencies.
The commissioner directed officials to speed up the citywide safety audit and stressed that all relevant departments must actively support the process.
Officials said the KMC chief fire officer, Rescue-1122, Civil Defense and the Sindh Building Control Authority will assist in the exercise and help identify high-risk buildings. Civil Defense has also been tasked with submitting a list of structures lacking adequate fire safety arrangements.
