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The IBA MBA Project has been an incredible journey, both challenging and inspiring. Beginning in May
2013 and coming to a close in early 2014, we would like to extend our thanks to all the individuals who
facilitated us along the way.
Firstly, we express our sincerest gratitude to Mr. Ghouse Akbar, Chairman and CEO of Akbar Group of
Companies for putting his faith in our group and entrusting us with the Princely Jets project. We are
extremely grateful for his continued guidance and advice throughout the project. In parallel, we thank
the IBA MBA Project Coordinators Dr. Nasir Afghan and Mr. Asad Ilyas, who continued to challenge us to
accomplish more and improve continuously. Their unerring belief in our abilities is both humbling and
gratifying.
Next, wed like to thank the Princely Jets team and Mr. Mudassir Siddiqui in particular for making
themselves available to us whenever required, and devoting time and energy in imparting information
that was critical to the project.
Next, wed like to thank the various individuals and organizations who met with us throughout the
course of our research and helped us in making it as authentic as possible.
Lastly, we thank the Fire Protection Association of Pakistan and the City Fire Brigade for their assistance
and support. Both organizations are inspiring in their dedication and commitment to making Karachi a
safer city with respect to fire, and we hope that our research will ultimately help facilitate their cause.
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Executive Summary
Princely Jets is part of the aviation business owned by the Akbar Group of Companies. The organization
is engaged in providing private charter services to individuals as well as other organizations, utilizing a
fleet of jets and helicopters to cater to transport requirements.
The purpose of this report is to assess the feasibility of utilizing Princely Jets existing fleet of helicopters
to provide an alternative service namely aerial emergency response with a focus on firefighting services
in Karachi. They have already provisioned one helicopter to provide ambulatory care, and firefighting
would be the next addition in their ambit of emergency response.
To explore this business avenue further, Princely Jets approached the Institute of Business
Administration (IBA), Karachi with a research project relating to the launch of an aerial firefighting unit
with a pilot focus on the city of Karachi. The project was taken on by a group of MBA students under the
supervision of the IBA MBA Project coordinators and Mr. Ghouse Akbar.
The objective was to evaluate Karachis fire management landscape so as to determine whether a
business opportunity exists for an aerial firefighting and response unit. The project was broken down
into 3 primary phases.
Phase 1 is Problem Identification. In this phase, a blend of primary and secondary research was utilized.
Extensive literature review was conducted to understand the degree of fire risk in Karachi, the
competence of the City Fire Brigade and other fire management services etc. A Root Cause Analysis was
conducted to explore high-profile fire events in the city to better understand the reason why fires break
out so frequently. This data was then compared to similar research on 4 metropolitan cities Tokyo,
Portland, Dubai and Cape Town as part of a Country Benchmarking exercise, to get a sense of the kinds
of facilities available in cities with similar characteristics to Karachi.
Primary research by way of a Market Analysis was conducted. 17 companies in 8 industries were
interviewed to assess safety culture, awareness of fire risk, focus on fire safety, and adoption of internal
fire mitigation practices. The results of the secondary and primary research were combined to conduct a
gap analysis, the conclusion being that there was a gap in the market for additional fire safety services.
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Phase 2 was Business Model Creation. After exploring aerial firefighting business models around the
world and by understanding Princely Jets internal resources and competence, a Service Delivery Model
and Financial/Business Monetization Model was prepared.
Phase 3 was Market Dynamics, involving the concept testing of the business model and monetization
plan developed in Phase 2. Assistance was taken from agencies in the insurance industry, which
identified industries that have the highest risk for fire in Pakistan. These high risk industries plus certain
industries approached in Phase 1 were contacted again, and a survey plus in-depth interview
methodology was used to test the Princely Jets aerial firefighting business model.
This Phase provided us with valuable insights, and the realization that at present, Karachi is not a viable
market for launching an aerial firefighting service. While demographics, industrial and real estate
development and lack of government focus or regulations on fire safety present a favorable picture,
there is an inherent lack of safety culture and unwillingness in most companies to invest in anything
beyond the most basic fire safety measures (i.e. fire extinguishers). This is one end of the spectrum on
the other end of the spectrum are organizations that have developed sophisticated internal fire
management systems and so believe that they will not require any external support.
Financial feasibility and market response indicate that at present, aerial firefighting is not a viable
option. However, it is the recommendation of this report that Princely Jets adopt a standby or Stakeout
Approach. They must develop internal mechanisms and systems needed to deploy emergency response
in times of emergency, and wait till the opportunity presents itself. Meantime, lobbying for government
support, building a brand image of being a credible emergency service provider, attaining international
accreditation etc. will be required.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................................................................... 1
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................................... 2
1.
2.
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2.7.4.5.
2.7.5.
2.7.5.1.
Company Overview ....................................................................................................................................... 38
2.7.5.2.
Profit Centers ................................................................................................................................................ 40
2.7.5.3.
Financial Information .................................................................................................................................... 41
2.7.5.4.
Operations .................................................................................................................................................... 41
2.7.5.4.1. Types of Contracts ................................................................................................................................... 41
2.7.5.4.2. Fleet Size .................................................................................................................................................. 41
2.7.5.4.3. Internal Maintenance Support ................................................................................................................ 42
2.7.5.4.4. Fire Dousing Equipment .......................................................................................................................... 42
2.7.5.4.5. Sources of Water ..................................................................................................................................... 42
2.8.
AERIAL FIRE FIGHTING IN TOKYO ........................................................................................................................45
2.8.1.
Tokyo Profile ...................................................................................................................................45
2.8.2.
Tokyo Governance .............................................................................................................................45
2.8.3.
Fire Fighting Body - Tokyo Fire Department ......................................................................................45
2.8.3.1.
Department Services ..................................................................................................................................... 45
2.8.3.2.
Department Resources ................................................................................................................................. 46
2.8.3.3.
Department Budget ...................................................................................................................................... 46
2.8.3.4.
Tokyo Fire Department Aviation Unit ........................................................................................................ 46
2.8.3.4.1. Helicopter Models ................................................................................................................................... 46
2.8.3.4.2. Technology Additions .............................................................................................................................. 47
2.8.4.
City Infrastructure Water Sources ..................................................................................................47
2.9.
AERIAL FIREFIGHTING IN CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA ............................................................................................49
2.9.1.
Location Profile ..................................................................................................................................49
2.9.1.1.
2.9.2.
2.9.3.
2.9.4.
2.9.4.1.
2.9.4.2.
2.9.4.3.
2.9.4.4.
2.9.4.5.
2.9.5.
2.9.5.1.
Company Overview Titan Helicopter Group .............................................................................................. 52
2.9.5.2.
Business Model ............................................................................................................................................. 53
2.9.5.3.
Operations .................................................................................................................................................... 55
2.9.5.3.1. Fleet Size .................................................................................................................................................. 55
2.9.5.3.2. Maintenance ............................................................................................................................................ 56
2.9.5.3.3. Safety Standards ...................................................................................................................................... 56
2.9.5.3.4. Fire Dousing Equipment .......................................................................................................................... 56
2.9.5.3.5. Sources of Water ..................................................................................................................................... 56
2.10.2.
2.10.3.
2.10.4.
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2.11.2.
2.11.3.
2.11.3.1.
2.11.3.2.
2.11.4.
2.11.5.
2.11.5.1.
2.11.5.2.
2.11.5.3.
2.11.5.4.
2.11.5.5.
2.11.5.6.
2.11.5.7.
Karachi Governance...........................................................................................................................63
Helicopter Industry ............................................................................................................................63
Public Sector ................................................................................................................................................. 63
Private Sector ................................................................................................................................................ 64
4.
QUESTION 1...................................................................................................................................................81
QUESTION 2...................................................................................................................................................83
QUESTION 3...................................................................................................................................................85
QUESTION 4...................................................................................................................................................87
QUESTION 5...................................................................................................................................................88
QUESTION 6...................................................................................................................................................91
QUESTION 7...................................................................................................................................................93
QUESTION 8...................................................................................................................................................94
QUESTION 9...................................................................................................................................................95
QUESTION 10.................................................................................................................................................97
QUESTION 11.................................................................................................................................................99
CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................................100
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4.3.
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE .........................................................................................................................106
4.4.
PRINCELY JETS AERIAL FIRE FIGHTING SERVICES .................................................................................................108
4.5.
FLEET SIZE & SPECIFICATIONS ..........................................................................................................................109
4.6.
PRINCELY JETS COMPANY ANALYSIS ...............................................................................................................110
4.6.1.
Internal Analysis ..............................................................................................................................110
4.6.1.1.
4.6.1.2.
4.6.2.
4.6.2.1.
4.6.2.2.
4.6.3.
4.6.3.1.
External Analysis..............................................................................................................................112
Opportunities .............................................................................................................................................. 113
Threats ........................................................................................................................................................ 114
4.7.
AERIAL FIREFIGHTING BUSINESS MODEL ............................................................................................................118
4.7.1.
Strategic Fit .....................................................................................................................................118
4.7.2.
Key Resources ..................................................................................................................................118
4.7.3.
Key Competence ..............................................................................................................................118
4.7.4.
Service Description ..........................................................................................................................118
4.7.4.1.
4.7.4.2.
4.7.4.3.
4.7.5.
4.7.5.1.
4.7.5.2.
4.7.5.3.
4.7.5.4.
4.7.5.5.
4.7.5.6.
4.7.5.7.
4.7.5.8.
4.7.5.9.
Operational Details..........................................................................................................................120
Eurocopter Affiliation .................................................................................................................................. 120
Training ....................................................................................................................................................... 121
Maintenance ............................................................................................................................................... 121
Equipment................................................................................................................................................... 122
Regulations ................................................................................................................................................. 123
Process ........................................................................................................................................................ 123
Risks ............................................................................................................................................................ 123
Quality Assurance/Control .......................................................................................................................... 124
Safety Management .................................................................................................................................... 125
4.8.
FINANCIAL ANALYSIS ......................................................................................................................................126
4.8.1.
Pricing Plans and Revenue Models ..................................................................................................128
4.8.1.1.
4.8.1.2.
4.8.1.3.
5.
5.3.4.
5.3.5.
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5.4.
ORGANIZATIONS APPROACHED/ CUSTOMER IDENTIFICATION.................................................................................137
5.4.1.
Questionnaire Objective ..................................................................................................................138
5.4.2.
Results of Phase 3 ............................................................................................................................138
5.4.2.1.
Section 1 Internal Fire Management........................................................................................................... 138
5.4.2.2.
Section 2 Princely Jets Brand Awareness ................................................................................................. 141
5.4.2.2.1. Familiarity with the Princely Brand ........................................................................................................ 141
5.4.2.2.2. Familiarity with Princely Services .......................................................................................................... 142
5.4.2.2.3. Trial of Princely Services ........................................................................................................................ 142
5.4.2.2.4. Perception on Service Quality and Desire for Repeat Purchase ............................................................ 142
5.4.2.3.
Section 3 Aerial Firefighting Awareness & Perception ................................................................................ 142
5.4.2.4.
Section 4 Insights into Princely Jets Aerial Firefighting Buying Behavior .................................................... 146
5.4.3.
6.
7.
8.
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Chapter
PRINCELY JETS
Introduction
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1. Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1. Situation Overview
This section provides a brief introduction to the client and their aerial firefighting service that is the
focus of this research.
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What firefighting services are available to the consumers and business owners in Karachi?
What is the perception about fire hazards as being a serious threat to life and business?
Who are the key players involved in the firefighting and rescue sector in Karachi?
What are the key lessons that can be derived from international usage of aerial fighting?
Which key industries/sectors/buyers can be targeted for early adoption of the service?
What price point can be charged for the service and what is its price sensitivity?
What is the appropriate business model that can be used for the service?
Evaluate the firefighting sector and identify gaps in the market for aerial firefighting.
Identify best practices across the world with respect to aerial firefighting.
1.3. Methodology
The aforementioned scope will require a blend of research methodology and practical application of
business concepts. The project itself is focused on a live launch of a business. Hence, the experience
throughout the duration of the project will allow the student group to apply multiple theoretical
concepts and see them at work in a real-life situation. Key deliverables, methodologies, and concepts at
work for each of the phases of this project are:
into 8 segments. The list of segments along with possible companies/institutions that could be
contacted is as follows:
o
A minimum of 2 companies would be selected from each segment using convenience sampling
methodology. The head of safety and security of each company would then be interviewed by the
research team. A sample of the type of questions that would be asked in this set of minimum 16
interviews is given in Exhibit 1.
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41
0
0
16 2
10 3
0
0
Yes
0
0
0
40 4
Total
26
Yes
40
Minimum 4 business models would be presented based on secondary research majorly over the internet.
Minimum 16 interviews for Industry Analysis.
3
Respondents would majorly be internal company resources and reinsurance contacts.
4
Number can change based on shortlisted segments from Phase 1.
2
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Chapter
PRINCELY JETS
Literature Review
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A few basic fundamentals with respect to fire must be understood before one can dig deeper into the
problem. This section of the report introduces the reader to some basic concepts about fire.
2. Growth: This is the stage in which the fire grows by making use of the oxygen in the air and the
fuel being provided by the structure around it. The intensity of this phase depends upon a
number of factors such as the proximity of combustibles, height of ceiling, and fire rating of the
construction material (Sauberman, 2010).
3. Fully Developed: When the growth stage reaches its peak and all combustible materials have
been ignited, the fully developed stage of the fire starts and is essentially the hottest phase of
the fire. This is when the fire is the most dangerous for anybody who is trapped by it
(Sauberman, 2010).
After the peak of the fully developed stage, the decay stage begins in which oxygen level goes down and
the fuel runs out putting an end to the fire.
Class A Fire: These are fires that involve ordinary combustible materials such as wood, cloth,
paper, rubber, and plastics. Water is mostly used as a cooling agent in order to bring down the
temperature of the burning material below its ignition point (Long Beach Fire Department,
2013).
Class B Fire: These are fires involving flammable liquids, greases, and gases. This type of fire can
most effectively be put out by smothering the fire and depriving it of oxygen. (Long Beach Fire
Department, 2013).
Class C Fire: These are fires that involve energized electrical equipment and can ideally be
controlled by a non-conducting extinguishing agent. It is most effective to attempt to cut off the
power supply first and then treat this class of fire as a Class A or Class B fire depending upon the
fuel involved (Long Beach Fire Department, 2013).
Class D Fire: These are fires involving combustible metals such as magnesium, titanium, sodium,
or potassium. Due to the high temperatures of some of these burning metals, water and other
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regular extinguishing agents become ineffective. Therefore, special extinguishing agents are to
be used depending on the metal (Long Beach Fire Department, 2013).
Class K Fire: Also classified as Class F, this is a relatively newer classification and includes fires
that use combustible cooking oil. The fuel is similar to that of Class B, but involves higher
temperatures because of which specialized wet chemicals are used for extinguishing purposes.
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Estimated Monetary Equivalent of Civilian Firefighter Deaths and Injuries - $42.4 billion
Therefore, using the aforementioned figures, one can comprehend that the losses from fire are severe
and widespread, and not just limited to the visible losses i.e. the direct and indirect economic losses
sustained by a building or enterprise. This realization becomes all the more relevant when put in context
of Pakistan where fire incidents are becoming more frequent in major cities like Karachi and Lahore due
to a lack of awareness and implementation of safety standards (Shafi, 2013). Additional factors such as
the poor condition and lack of preparedness of the city fire brigade especially in the city of Karachi
further exacerbate the situation making it all the more alarming.
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It is estimated that fire incidents in Pakistan result in deaths of 16,500 people and leave another 164,000
injured every year (Mahtab, 2010). Property losses and resulting insurance claims are estimated to be
to the tune of Rs. 400 billion every year (Mahtab, 2010). Despite these massive losses, the government
is yet to adopt a national fire safety policy even though one drafted by the National Disaster
Management Authority (NDMA) in collaboration with the United Nation Development Program (UNDP)
has been pending approval from relevant quarters since 2010 (Associated Press Pakistan, 2012).
Subsequent sections will further illustrate the grossly unrecognized burden that Pakistan in general and
Karachi in particular bears due to the costs of fire.
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Candle/Heater (2%);
Fireworks (1%);
Others (5%)
Short circuiting ranked as the most common cause behind fire incidents and this is possibly uniform
throughout the country due to old, faulty, and overloaded electrical cables that are used in most
commercial and residential areas.
Smoking related fires which constitute the second major reason of fire emergencies include all fires
caused by cigarettes, cigars, and pipes. This can be considered as another commonality throughout the
country as smoking is a common activity taken up by individuals of ages 15 and more across Pakistan
with the highest incidence being in Sindh (16.1%) and the lowest in KPK (7.1%) (Nasir & Rehan, 2001).
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The other causes also appear to be more or less common across the country and hence, this data can be
extrapolated to an extent for the rest of the country, and especially for the purposes of this report, for
Karachi.
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Fire Detection: As the name suggests, these systems are used to detect fire and they use a
number of sophisticated methods to do so. These include smoke detectors, flame detectors,
and heat detectors. Upon detection, these systems are also capable of carrying out other
actions like opening vents or emergency exits (Fire Safe Europe, 2011).
Smoke and Heat Extraction Systems: Smoke extraction systems are mostly used in larger
buildings where there is limited natural ventilation through windows. In the event of a fire,
smoke extraction systems help to maintain visibility and ease breathing. Heat extraction
systems use a similar technology to remove excess heat from a building (Fire Safe Europe,
2011).
Fire Suppression: These systems help to put out fires and can either be manual or automatic.
Manual systems include fire extinguishers, while automatic systems include fire sprinklers (Fire
Safe Europe, 2011).
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Aerial units can fill the gap in areas with only land-based fire brigades. Ground defensive fire
control tools are ineffective in tackling fires in buildings with more than eight floors; therefore,
aerial firefighting becomes effective in such instances.
An aerial view can provide information that is not available from the interior or the exterior at
ground level. For e.g., at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, police in helicopters
could see signs of an impending structural collapse but unfortunately, they were unable to
communicate this message to the fire department (Barlett, 2012).
Aerial firefighting helicopters can travel at faster speed than ground suppression resources and
can take a more direct path to destination (Bushfire CRC, 2013).
Capable of accessing remote areas which ground suppression resources may only reach after
unacceptably long travel times (Bushfire CRC, 2013).
Effective in situations where ground crew access is limited due to safety concerns such as high
fire intensity (Bushfire CRC, 2013).
The use of aircraft for initial attack until ground resources reach the fire event produces the best
economic outcome for fire suppression.
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Use of ground suppression resources (snorkels, brigades, extinguishers etc.) aided by initial
aerial support is the most economically efficient approach to fire suppression - rather than sole
use of aircraft
Helicopter rescue efforts are complex and extremely dangerous procedures and usually
unnecessary; alternate superior tactics are usually available, for e.g. EVACS Emergency
Voice/Alarm Communication Systems (Barlett, 2012).
Helicopter operations above a burning building can actually create additional risks owing to the
thermal updraft i.e. hot air rising upwards off burning constructions. This implies that
helicopters flying near burning buildings can create high winds that negatively affect operations
(Barlett, 2012).
Agency helicopters are not allowed to tackle fires at night due safety reasons and low visibility
(Barlett, 2012).
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boiler to explode, most of the workers still in the basement had no way of getting out and died as the
basement filled with boiling water (Theuws, Huijstee, Overeem, Seters, & Pauli, 2013). The remaining
workers on higher floors tried to escape through windows that were barred and at least 65 of them
suffered broken bones following the jump from the top storey of the building (The News Correspondent,
2012).
Fire fighters dispatched from the SITE (Sindh Industrial Trading Estate) fire station which has another
2000 factories under its jurisdiction (Express Tribune Correspondent, 2012), reached the scene at least
75 minutes after the blaze erupted (Walsh & Greenhouse, 2012) and at a certain point ran out of water.
In connection to this, the Chief Fire Officer, Mr. Ehtishamuddin explained that the water supply to the
SITE fire station had been disconnected for years because of unpaid bills (Express Tribune
Correspondent, 2012).
The incident report published by the Government of Sindh cited three rescue problems that impeded
the efforts of the fire fighters: lack of fire tenders, presence of only a single entrance/exit in the building,
and late declaration of the incident as a Category-3 fire (Provincial Disaster Management Authority,
2012).
including Mega Shipping Company, Attock Cement, Engro, and Meezan Bank (Daily Times
Correspondent, 2007). This incident also took place on a Sunday and the attendance inside the building
was scarce; however, 31 persons were known to have entered the building between 10:00AM and
2:10PM (Daily Times Correspondent, 2007).
International experts from Hong Kong were consulted and they conducted a detailed investigation after
which they concluded that both fires were caused by electrical short circuiting (Guriro, 2008). The staff
present in the building at the time of the fire told a similar story as they said that there was a short
circuit in the AC wiring which caused the fire (Baloch, 2007), and according to Sattar Rauf, an auditor
working on the fifth floor of the building at the time, it was only when smoke poured out from the
ventilation duct that he realized what was happening (Hassan S. , 2007).
More than 100 firefighters tried to extinguish the fire that kept blazing beyond midnight. At least 21 fire
engines of the city government and nine fire engines of the KPT, Pakistan Navy, Port Qasim Authority,
Clifton Cantonment Board, and Defence Housing Authority took part in the operation (Hassan S. , 2007).
The city fire brigades chief fire officer, Mr. Ehtishamuddin cited numerous problems that were faced
because of which the fire could not be controlled quickly. For the slowness of the operation, he blamed
strong winds, large power generators, a narrow entrance stairwell, and a raised platform around the
building (Hassan S. , 2007).
Additionally, it was also revealed that the city fire brigades snorkels that were claimed to be able to
reach as high as 120 feet were unable to do so because of technical a difficulty which is why the fire kept
rising higher (Baloch, 2007). The operation also included a Pakistan Navy Sea King helicopter that was
used to evacuate an individual who had managed to escape the fire and reach the roof-top of the
building (Hassan S. , 2007).
It was also reported that a senior fire officer of the KPT, on condition of anonymity revealed that despite
being 16-storeys high and being classified as a skyscraper, the building still had no internal fire
management system because of which the fire was neither detected nor controlled in a timely manner.
The said individual also mentioned that normal fire tenders could not work above the seventh floor
because of which other means of dousing fires on higher floors are required (Baloch, 2007).
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PNSC officials have disclosed that the total combined worth of damage that has been sustained by the
building from both the fire incidents is to the tune of Rs. 700 million which includes Rs. 190 million
worth of computers, furniture, and infrastructure (Guriro, 2008).
hundreds of people including the fire fighters stood as spectators as Owais Baig tried to hang on for his
life. According to Mr. Shaikh, the fire brigade had not brought the required equipment and gear such as
a jumping pad that could have been placed where the victim landed to save his life (Dawn
Correspondent, 2012).
cater to the fire safety needs of a massive city like Karachi (Hassan, S. Raza, 2008). Out of the tenders
that were available to the city brigade, very few were operational because of which help from other
quarters of the city was required (Hassan, S. Raza, 2008).
The fire incident that took place at the Berger Paints factory is termed by many as the worst ever
industrial accident in terms of the sheer size and strength of the fire. It is only trumped by the more
recent Baldia Town garment factory fire because there was a large loss of life in that particular incident
even though the intensity of the fire was barely comparable (The Express Tribune Correspondent, 2012).
The reason that is cited for zero loss of life caused by a massively larger scale fire is that Berger unlike Ali
Enterprises possessed a proper emergency exit system (The Express Tribune Correspondent, 2012).
2.6.5. Conclusion
The preceding sections of Chapter 2 sought to illustrate a gap in the fire management landscape of
Karachi and by doing so set the stage for a more advanced firefighting service such as aerial firefighting
units. The subsequent section in this chapter focuses on a comparison of firefighting capabilities of
Karachi against four metropolitan cities around the world.
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Population: 593,820
In USA, the overall number of fires, civilian fire deaths and property loss seems to be trending
downward. This is probably due to more high-rise buildings being sprinkler protected in order to comply
with the laws enforced on all new buildings during the mid-1970s (Barlett, 2012).
Table 2.7-1: High Rise Fires in the US
Annual Average*
Number of High-rise Fires
Number of Civilian Fire Deaths
Property Loss
Facilitating close communications between government firefighting agencies and helicopter and
fixed wing air tanker operators.
These numbers are annual averages over 18 years, not exact numbers.
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Supporting government policies and directives that advance the commercial interests of
member companies.
Providing lessons learned feedback regarding aircraft incidents, accidents, and unsafe operating
procedures.
Disseminating to government and the general public the aerial firefighting industrys
contributions to the well-being of the countrys citizens and economy.
Coordinating industry input and response to government inquiries, studies, and analyses.
2.7.4. Business Model Public Sector (Portland Fire and Rescue Department)
In the state of Oregon, the Portland Fire & Rescue Department (PF&R) is the states largest fire and
emergency service provider. PF&R is operationally well-run and very effective in the extinguishment of
fires. It is a philosophically aggressive agency in its approach to fighting fire and ensuring the safety of its
employees. This philosophy is built upon the concept of Hit Hard, Hit Fast. PF&R has long been a
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trendsetter in this region regarding firefighting tactics, fire ground safety and incident management.
(Portland Fire and Rescue Service Delivery System Study, 2006)
2.7.4.1.
Department Structure
Rank
Fire Chief
Division Chief
Deputy Chief
Battalion Chief
Captain
Lieutenant
Firefighter, Paramedic, HM
The City is divided into four districts; three are operational and one is administrative.
Districts 2 and 4 - include nine stations each and District 3 has 10.
District 1- is the administrative district and has Station 1 and Bureau Headquarters. This district is
managed by the on-duty emergency response Deputy Chief
*Note: The division of the City into only three districts places too high a burden on the Battalion Chiefs
to exercise proper administrative oversight and field supervision. Typically Battalion Chiefs in cities with
call levels like Portland have oversight for fewer stations and resources. The span of control for a field
officer usually should be limited to five to seven units. In Portland, Battalion Chiefs have 9 or 10 stations
and as many as 14 units. (Portland Fire and Rescue Service Delivery System Study, 2006)
2.7.4.2.
Department Services
Fire prevention,
Public education,
Response to fire
Disaster mitigation.
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While the number of actual fires has decreased per capita, emergency medical services (EMS) and
special service demands have steadily increased. About 70 percent of the calls to which Fire & Rescue
responds are medical calls as shown below in the 2012 statistics of the Portland Fire Department:
Table 2.7-3: Portland Fire Department Statistics 2012
Type
Fire
Medical
Hazardous Material
Auto Wrecks
False Alarms
Total
2.7.4.3.
106
214
16
47
36
419
Area
City
County
255
164
Total
419
Township
Wayne
Greene
Pike
Jefferson
Other
Total
76
24
25
30
9
164
Department Resources
Manpower: The PF&Rs operations personnel work a 53-hour week. Operations personnel work a 24hour duty shift followed by 48 hours off. The process is repeated throughout the year with
approximately seven scheduled relief days, dispersed throughout the cycle to equate to a 53-hour work
week. This shift schedule is common in the fire service. The Bureau currently employs approximately
700 employees of which 574 are assigned to the Emergency Operations Division (Portland Fire and
Rescue Service Delivery System Study, 2006).
Equipment: PF&R operates 30 engine companies, nine truck companies, two fireboats, a rescue, and
three squad units, including two specialized units for Chemical and Biological, Radiological/Nuclear and
Explosive response, and a specialized unit for Hazardous Materials. These units allow PF&R firefighters
to provide emergency services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Emergency response is provided from
30 stations, which are strategically located throughout the City of Portland to maximize resources and
provide the quickest possible response times. (Portland Fire and Rescue Service Delivery System Study,
2006)
2.7.4.4.
In FY 2013-2014, the Fire & Rescue Dept. has requested for a budget of approximately $9.3million. The
budget includes proposals to eliminate or close stations in Portland. The budget gap is large and hence
such cuts are necessary as a result of budget reductions (Portland Fire & Rescues FY 2013-2014
Requested Budget, 2013).
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Currently, PF&R per capita cost is $132, which is $27 less than the group average of $159, as seen in the
table below. The city and fire department are cost efficient (Portland Fire and Rescue Service Delivery
System Study, 2006).
6
Jurisdictions
Seattle, WA
Cincinnati, OH
Kansas City, MO
Sacramento, CA
Denver, CO
Long Beach, CA
Portland, OR
Charlotte, NC
Average
2.7.4.5.
Operating Budget
$121,001,373
$58,400,000
$77,813,730
$77,005,280
$85,665,200
$63,900,000
$73,220,759
$77,196,770
$79,275,389
The Portlands Fire & Rescue department does not provide aerial firefighting services to the citizens of
Portland, Oregon.
Company Overview
Type: Private
Founded: 1957
Headquarters: Portland, Oregon
Products: Commercial Helicopters
Columbia Helicopters was founded in 1957 by Mr. Wes Lematta with a single helicopter (Hiller 12B). He
gave rides at county fairs, took on the occasional construction project and drove a truck in his spare time
to make ends meet. The company gained national recognition when it rescued 15 seamen from a sinking
US Army Corp of Engineers using his Hiller 12B (Columbia Helicopters, 2013).
The cost per capita of each jurisdiction is based on its operating budget, not including capital budgets. The
operating budget includes personnel services, supplies, building maintenance expenditures, etc., which are annual
appropriations for recurring costs that do not depreciate.
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Columbia Helicopters is a member of the American Helicopter Services and Aerial Firefighting
Association (AHSAFA), the Washington, DC-based trade association representing the commercial
operators of helicopters and fixed wing aircraft engaged in aerial wild-land firefighting. (American
Helicopter Services & Aerial Firefighting Association)
The CHI fleet of tandem rotor aircraft gradually expanded. During this period, the company moved to its
new facility in Aurora and continued its impressive growth. CHI has operated globally and has offices in
Papa New Guinea and Peru.
Global Operations:
Sudan
Saudi Arabia
Ecuador
Chile
Canada
Mexico
Laos
Malaysia
Indonesia
Panama
Afghanistan
Peru
Myanmar
China
Australia
New Zealand
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2.7.5.2.
Profit Centers
Figure 2.7-2: Columbia Helicopters Profit Centers
1. Logging: Heli-Logging is a method of logging that uses helicopters to cut trees from forests by
lifting them on cables attached to a helicopter (mostly used for inaccessible areas in the forests).
CHI participated in the first helicopter logging project in the 1970s. After just a decade, it came
to dominate the US and Canadian heli-logging industry.
2. Construction & Oil Exploration Support: CHI today is a highly recognized provider of helicopter
services to a wide variety of construction applications including power lines, ski lifts, roof-top air
handling units, concrete footings, and general aerial crane projects.
3. US Government Support: CHI (in 1985) won a competitive contract with the Department of
States USAID. The project called for helicopters to provide famine relief operations in Sudan.
The entire company took pride in this massive effort to provide humanitarian relief to the
famine stricken people of Sudan. CHI provides safe and professional helicopter services to the
U.S. Military, the United Nations, and even other governments.
4. Firefighting: CHI began helicopter firefighting operations in the late 1960s after developing an
improvised bucket for the S-61 aircraft. Firefighting has developed as a key contributor to the
companys revenue and profit base and CHI is recognized by both state and federal agencies as
one of the premier providers of heavy lift firefighting services. Firefighting continued to expand
as a profit center with the purchase of the 107s and 234s.
5. Customer Maintenance: A very significant and a rapidly growing contributor to success is CHIs
internal maintenance capabilities to provide maintenance services to other companies or
countries. Foreign customers include the Australian, Thai, Greek and Spanish Armies as well as
the Singapore and Moroccan Air Forces.
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2.7.5.3.
Financial Information
In March 2012, the Portland Business Journal Profile reported that the privately-held company's payroll
had grown to $50 million in 2011. The paper reported that 2011 revenue grew 26% to about $175
million. Executives told the paper that part of the company's success came from its heavy-lift helicopter
operations, which is used in military transportation, firefighting and energy exploration. (Profile, 2012)
2.7.5.4.
Operations
2.7.5.4.1.
Types of Contracts
Through the last two decades the United States Forest Service has changed the contracting model for
heavy lift operators. There are 2 types of contracts that the helicopter company engages in:
Whereas previously, heavy lift aircraft were used only on CWN (call-when-needed) contracts, today they
are utilized on both CWN and EU (exclusive use) contracts. CHI has been very successful in placing
aircrafts on both types of contracts. Currently, the company operates one 234 and three 107s on an EU
contract with a four year term. (Columbia Helicopters, 2013)
2.7.5.4.2.
Fleet Size
2.7.5.4.3.
To support its growing fleet of aircraft, CHI (in the 1970s) began developing and expanding their
internal maintenance support capabilities. It had become apparent to management that OEM support
would not be sufficient to enable the company to maintain the levels of aircraft utilization required to
be economically viable in its operations. Back shops were developed for this purpose, which include:
Electrical systems,
Hydraulic components and systems and virtually all 107 and 234 aircraft systems.
Great Flexibility: The company is able to support its operations throughout the US as well as in
extremely remote areas of Alaska, Canada, Africa, SE Asia and South America.
High Utilization levels: CHI has been able to achieve and sustain aircraft utilization levels that
are much higher than ever matched or even anticipated by competitors. Achieving 300 flight
hours in a calendar month has been achieved in a number of instances. This exceptional CHI
operations effort would not be possible without the extraordinary maintenance capabilities that
support their field operations. (Columbia Helicopters, 2013).
2.7.5.4.4.
Columbia's fleet deploys to fires with the Torrentula Bambi Bucket with power-fill system. The
Torrentula provides operators with excellent precision in multiple drops and variable flow rates its the
most versatile, innovative valve available. The Torrentula truly shines when numerous hotspots require
quick attacks. These buckets contain four high-speed pumps that can fill the buckets in less than 90
seconds, from sources as shallow as just 18 inches. (Columbia Helicopters, 2013)
2.7.5.4.5.
Sources of Water
Columbia Helicopters has specialized in the aerial application of water and chemical retardants (since
1967). Water buckets are matched to each helicopters' external lift capabilities. The Vertol 107-II carries
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a 1,300-gallon bucket and the larger Columbia Model 234 Chinook deploys a 2,650-gallon bucket
(Columbia Helicopters, 2013).
Public Sources of Water:
Traditional water sources include the following:
Lakes
Ponds,
Rivers
Oceans
These versatile water buckets can be filled from shallow streams and ponds. Slung 200-feet below the
helicopter, Columbia's pilots are able to access tree-lined streams and ponds, backyard swimming pools,
or other restricted-access water sources unavailable to tanked helicopters.
Private Sources of Water:
Additionally, if no deep water is immediately available, pilots can dip from Portable Dip Tanks.
Fireghting helicopters use dip tanks when other water sources are not an option.
Benefits of using Dip tanks:
These tanks are usually round when fully lled, and have a large opening at the top for bucket access.
CHI makes use of 5,000 gallon dip tanks that are equipped with wheels and can be pulled by pickup
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truck or slung by helicopter to reach the closest position to the fire (United States Department of
Agriculture, 2008).
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Department Services
The Fire Department is responsible for first response in event of disaster. It handles fire prevention,
identification and management, as well as emergency services for medical purposes, earthquake and
flood protection (Tokyo Fire Department, 2012). The Tokyo Fire Department has lent its assistance and
expertise in rescue operations to other countries, including Pakistan (FDMA Japan , 2013).
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2.8.3.2.
Department Resources
The Tokyo Fire Department operates 81 fire stations and 208 fire station branches, employing almost
19,000 employees (Tokyo Fire Department, 2012).
1,909 units of fire apparatus are used, including trucks, ladders, ambulances, fireboats and helicopters.
2.8.3.3.
Department Budget
The total budget allocated to 246 billion yen, which constitutes 4% of the Tokyo Metropolitan
Governments total budget (Tokyo Fire Department, 2012).
2.8.3.4.
The core objective driving the Fire Department is Preparing for a large scale and complex disaster and
increasing the safety and security of residents through prompt rescue and firefighting services (FDMA
Japan , 2013) and a key component of this is the improvement and enhancement of the aerial
firefighting system.
The Aviation Unit has been in operation since 1966. Currently the Aviation Unit is based at two
locations, with a total of 6 helicopters (3 large and 3 medium). 6 more helicopters are stationed in
different locations, resulting in a fleet of 12 helicopters. The Aviation Unit carries out the following
activities (Tokyo Fire Department, 2012):
Aerial rescue, firefighting, information gathering with helicopter TV cameras, and aerial
command in times of incidents
In times of emergency such as earthquakes and forest fires, the Aviation Units coverage can expand the
entire nation if needed. Since 2007, the Aviation Unit has deployed helicopters for over 600 fire
missions, 2000 medical emergencies, and more than 500 disaster rescue efforts (FDMA Japan , 2013).
2.8.3.4.1.
Helicopter Models
The Tokyo Fire Department (TFD) fleet consists of large and medium sized helicopters, with a fleet of
approximately 12 helicopters. Some are outfitted with emergency medical technologies. Other models
include 2,500 liter water-bombers, Dauphin II and Super Puma, as well as the Eurocopter EC225LP
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(Tokyo Fire Department, 2012). In 2012, Japan also acquired two AW139 models from AugustaWestland
(AgustaWestland, 2012)
2.8.3.4.2.
Technology Additions
TFD helicopters are fitted with television cameras and image transmission systems so that images of a
disaster scene can be immediately sent to a central Command and Control Center, to facilitate
understanding of the situation and development of emergency response strategies. This central
Command and Control System supports emergency units to respond to disasters promptly and
accurately and to operate on scene effectively. The system deploys the right unit for the right incident
(Tokyo Fire Department, 2012).
Fire Hydrants: Tokyo possesses a network of fire hydrants which were established with the aid
of the city waterworks service.
Disaster Situations Water Source: For disaster situations, the TFD has built fire cisterns or
natural water sources and reservoirs
Simultaneous Fire Water Source: As an anti-simultaneous fire measure, the TFD divides its area
into 250 250m grid squares. The cisterns of one-hundred cubic meters or over are being
installed in grid areas which are strategically important when an earthquake occurs, or have
high risk of fire spread. For other grid areas, the cisterns of 40-cubic meters or over are being
installed.
Serious Urban Fire: As an anti-serious urban fire measure, 750x750m grids are used to secure
sufficient amount of water to extinguish fire.
Additional Measures: The TFD developed additional water sources in accordance with urban
infrastructure projects and encourages new developments to install water cisterns in the
foundations, often by providing grants. It also promotes the use of rain-water storage facilities,
water processing plants, etc. as firefighting water sources.
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The TFD developed additional water sources in accordance with urban infrastructure projects and
encourages new developments to install water cisterns in the foundations, often by providing grants. It
also promotes the use of rain-water storage facilities, water processing plants, etc. as firefighting water
sources.
The TFD also plans to utilize the sea and river water more effectively, for example, by damming up rivers
and creating multifunctional infinite deep water sources (deep wells) that can be converted to domestic
or drinking water in the event of a disaster. At the same time, in order to develop convenient water
sources for the local residents, the steel covers on water cisterns located in parks in areas with high
concentration of wooden houses are mainly being replaced by double covers (with a smaller cover
given) for easier water suction by lightweight portable pumps.
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2.9.1.1.
The Western Cape has a fair share of annual emergencies. The start of summer and winter signal the fire
season. Bush fires, flooding, droughts, oil spills, train wrecks, and mountain rescues have all been recent
challenges for the people and communities of the Western Cape. In the case of Cape Town, most fires
spread from the mountainous areas causing high-rise structures to catch fire. (South African
Government Information, 2013)
A significant event was the promulgation of the National Veld and Forest Fire Act in 1998 as it promotes
co-operative governance and decentralization of wildfire management. However, this development
could not protect the Cape Peninsula from its most serious fires ever.
In January 2000, fires burned 8,370 hectares of the Peninsula. Fourteen structures, including 8 houses,
were destroyed and over 50 other structures badly damaged. These were the largest and most
expensive fires in recent history. The total cost of these fires was more than R30 million.
We were able to find data of the amount of fires that occurred from 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003:
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2001/2002
57
45
11
1
800ha
831ha
30
R 1.5 million
2002/2003
64
53
6
5
400ha
578ha
63
R 3.5 million
In the past lightning was the main natural source of ignition in the Western Cape. Human action has now
become the main cause of contemporary wildfires in the Cape Peninsula. During the past 25 years a
total area of 34,851 hectares was burned in wildfires on the Cape Peninsula. The problem however is
that many of these fires (as a result of human action) have occurred in the same area, resulting in
increased fire risk to houses and properties, damage to the soil and increased erosion. (Challenges of
Managing Fires along an Urban-Wildland Interface, 2013)
Establish and maintain the necessary trained human resources to manage fires
Institute a programme of prescribed burning. This activity will be necessary to achieve the
objective of ensuring the conservation and continued survival of viable populations of all of the
indigenous biota in the area. Prescribed burning is also a necessary element in the control of
invasive alien plants
Develop and implement communication procedures to ensure that residents and visitors on the
Cape Peninsula remain informed with regard to fire-related issues. A supportive public that both
understands the importance of fire in the conservation of the national park, and acts in a
responsible and sympathetic manner with respect to fire, will make the difficult task of fire
management a lot easier
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Develop and implement a system that ensures that the all the legal obligations are met with
respect to fire management
Ukuvuka in its four year existence actively supported the City in the formation of the FPA and speeded
up the process.
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The City of Cape Towns Fire and Rescue Service (CTFRS) is a professional fire brigade that dates back to
1845. It aims to provide an efficient, cost effective, unprejudiced and equitable fire and rescue service to
all of Cape Town's residents and visitors. (Fire & Rescue Service, 2013)
2.9.4.2.
Department Services
CTFRS deals with all types of fires, ranging from structural fires, informal settlement fires, mountain and
veld fires, small vessel and motor vehicle fires. The service extends its work to medical emergencies and
rescues including urban search and rescue, diving, motor vehicle extrications and high angle incidents,
as well as hazardous material emergencies. (Fire & Rescue Service, 2013)
2.9.4.3.
Department Resources
Today the CTFRS consists of 30 fire stations serving a population of 3.5 million people and covering an
area of over 2,561 km2. The service is divided into three divisions or districts, with more than 1300 staff
members, including professional fire-fighters, fire and life safety staff, command and control staff,
trainers and support staff. (Fire & Rescue Service, 2013)
2.9.4.4.
The allocated budget for FY 2011-2012 was 434,000 rands. (Cape Town Fire & Rescue Department,
2013).
2.9.4.5.
The City of Cape Town Fire & Rescue Department does not provide aerial firefighting services. The air
force helicopters are usually called for assistance in controlling large fires.
Type: Private
Founded: 1993
Headquarters: South Africa
The Titan Helicopter Group (THG) is South African based and was founded in 1993. It ranks as the
number one helicopter group in the country. Their helicopter operations provide professional lateral
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solutions to customer requirements throughout the world, with particular emphasis on safety. Their
international footprints include operations in countries such as Malaysia, Sudan, Mozambique, Angola,
India, Antarctica, Afghanistan, Equatorial Guinea, Libya and the Ivory Coast. (Titan Helicopter Group,
2013)
Titan has a diverse clientele which include:
a) Governments
b) State-Owned Enterprises
c) Oil Companies
d) Relief Aid Agencies Worldwide
2.9.5.2.
Business Model
The business model warrants a matrix-style of functioning where every project team has members
drawn from various groups with expertise in the Flying, Operation and Maintenance working together.
Figure 2.9-1: Titan Helicopter Group Business Model
1. Offshore Helicopters:
Titan Helicopter Group provide a safe reliable air transport service utilizing well maintained aircraft
which are equipped for day/night instrument flight. All aircraft are multi-engine and equipped with
emergency floatation for increased safety.
a) Drill Rig Support: This service is provided by:
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b) Antarctica & Island: Helicopter Support to Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
(DEAT) of Antarctica. The helicopters are specially equipped to fly under conditions of extreme
cold. This service is provided by:
Bo-105 Helicopter
c) Ship Services: The Company provides helicopter Support to Vessels of the South African Coast. It
is based at the Cape Town Harbour, where Titan serves ships that cannot dock for various
reasons. They will supply anything to any ship, anywhere. This Service is provided by:
d) Pax Chapter: Trading under the name of Court Aero, they are able to carry 55 passengers in the
aircraft to any destination in the world. The facility in Cape Town provides passenger handling
support etc.
e) Other Services offered: TITAN also does major crew changes for vessels across the South African
Coast as well as Salvage operations for major Salvage Companies.
2. Onshore Operations:
Titan provides onshore heavy lift solutions up to 20 Tons for various clients. Titan Helicopter Group
provides a safe reliable air transport service utilizing well maintained aircraft. Titan Helicopter Groups
Pilots and Maintenance Staff will lead the industry by setting the standard for onshore helicopter
operations
This service is provided by:
Mi-8 P Helicopter
S61 Helicopter
a) Aerial Fire Fighting: Titan Helicopters provides helicopters for fire-fighting operations, as it is
highly versatile and capable of undertaking such demanding work in hot and often highly hostile
flying environments. The Mi-8 and Kamov can deliver 4500 liters of water on the fire for up to 3
hours at a time.
b) Air Crane and Precision Construction: The Russian built helicopters serve to be mobile cranes.
They place cargo within inches of where the customer wants it irrespective of the terrain or
location.
c) Power Lines: Titan offers a service in support of the Power Line industry. The helicopters
provide an unequaled 5 Ton lifting capacity to fly in power line pylons (a tall tower-like structure
used for carrying power lines high above the ground) directly to the point of construction. This
negates the construction of access roads and heavy vehicles, especially in environmentally
sensitive regions and inaccessible areas in Cape Town.
d) Emergency Medical Services (EMS): Titan helicopters provide EMS support in Countries like
South Africa and Malaysia. This service is provided by:
Executive Charter
Aerial Photography
Salvage Operations
2.9.5.3.
Operations
2.9.5.3.1.
Fleet Size
Titan's fleet of helicopters consists of several different airframes that have been specialized to carry out
a 'niche' service. They are involved in firebombing, heavy-lift construction, logging, salvage operations,
resupply missions, medevac (ambulatory) and passenger transport/adventure travel.
This specialization in a wide range of industries is reflected in our Wide Niche strategy which enables
them to cater to the very unique challenges that each of these industries present on a daily basis.
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Bell 212
Sikorsky S-61 N
Eurocopter BO-105
2.9.5.3.2.
Maintenance
Maintenance of the TITAN Group fleet of helicopters is controlled by the South African Civil Aviation
Authority and monitored in-house by an advanced quality system.
Titan Maintenance support is supplied by its Aircraft Maintenance Organisations AMO 1018 & AMO
0049, with branches in George, Cape Town, Malaysia, Afghanistan and Namibia.
2.9.5.3.3.
Safety Standards
Titan maintains an active Safety Management System (SMS). The objective is proactive management of
identifiable risks and the elimination of injury to personnel and damage to equipment. To that end, they
continuously examine operation for hazards and find ways to minimize them. They report incident, train
staff on safety management, document findings and responses, and strive for continuous improvement.
2.9.5.3.4.
Sources of Water
Two catchment areas service the City of Cape Town, viz. the Breede and Berg Water Management
Areas.
a) Breede Water Management Area: The Breede Water Management Area is of crucial importance
to the Western Cape Metropolitan Area. Water from the Berg Water Management Area is
stored in the Breede Water Management Area, while large quantities of water are transferred
from the Breede Water Management Area for high-value urban, industrial uses in the Berg
Water Management Area.
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b) Berg Water Management Area: The Berg Water Management Area is the major water supplier
to the Western Cape Metropolitan Area, and contains the Western Cape Water Supply System,
which includes the Steenbras Upper and Lower, Wemmershoek, Volvlei and Theewaterskloof
Dams.
c) Other sources include:
i.
Reservoirs
ii.
iii.
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Location Profile
Dubai is one of the 7 emirates which together form the UAE. Founded in 1833, today it has the largest
population in UAE and is the second largest land territory by area. Dubai along with Abu Dhabi are the
only 2 emirates which have influence over the countrys legislation (Wikipedia, 2013).
Rapid development has turned Dubai into a vibrant cosmopolitan hub for finance, trade and tourism,
earning it the status of a global city due to its influence on the international economy.
2.10.1.1.
Dubai is home to over 900 high-rise buildings, 88 of which are over 180 meters tall. Burj Khalifa, the
worlds tallest building at 828 meters is the most magnificent addition to Dubais glittering skyline.
Skyscrapers are host to corporate offices, hotels as well as residential complexes and clustered close
together in areas such as Dubai Marina and Business Bay.
However, despite all its sophistications in fire safety equipment and general infrastructure, Dubai is
lacking in basic fire safety awareness. A survey conducted by international fire equipment producer
Honeywell in 2012, indicated the following (Nagraj, 2013):
26% of UAE respondents were unaware of where fire escapes were located in their building
Furthermore, Dubai has witnessed an alarming number of serious fire incidents in 2012 (Nagraj, 2013).
The most recent occurred in November 2012, where the Tamweel Building in Jumeriah was entirely
engulfed in flames (7DaysinDubai, 2012). Fire broke out in Dubai Mall, one of the worlds largest
retailing facilities that hosts 6.5 million shoppers a year in August 2012. Dubai Marina, Jebel Ali Duty
Free Zone, and Dubai Creek docks (Shahbandari & Hosn)are just a few other examples of populated
residential and commercial areas that have experienced serious fires.
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Till now the issue has been blamed on poor implementation of fire safety laws. New safety standards
were imposed in Dubai in September 2012 which required audits and checks to ensure compliance with
regulations, but the Honeywell survey indicated that 53% of respondents had never had their buildings
fire safety equipment tested.
2.10.2.
Dubai Governance
Since 1833 Dubai has been ruled by the Al Maktoum family. Today, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin
Rashid Al Maktoum is the ruler of Dubai, and fulfills the role of Prime Minister of UAE as well (Dubai
SmartGovernment, 2013).
2.10.3.
Helicopter Industry
Helicopters in Dubai are utilized for air charter, tourism, police and firefighting purposes. Aircrafts are
imported from countries such as Germany and Italy. The city also hosted the Dubai Helishow 2012 the
premier civil and military helicopter technology and operations exhibition in the Middle East, and is
hosting another Helishow in 2014 (Arabian Aerospace, 2012).
2.10.4.
Dubai Civil Defence (DCD) is the emergency management organization handling different elements of
emergency response and prevention in the city. It operates under the Ministry of Interior to provide fire
and rescue services for the Government of Dubai (EFRC, 2013). As of September 2012, there were 14
fire stations based around Dubai (Hanif, 2012), with a commitment to adding 2 fire stations every year.
2.10.4.1.
Department Services
Preventive Safety: Concerned with building regulations, company and material approval and
licensing, hazardous substance control and inspection
Civil Protection
DCD also offers training services for fire extinguishing and evacuation alongside coordinating rescue
efforts with Dubai police and its fleet of fire fighters and firefighting aircrafts. DCD also has the right to
fine commercial and industrial establishments that do not comply with fire safety and protection rules
(UAE Interact, 2013). Civil Defense officials carry out surveys on residential sites and advise residents on
how to better prepare their homes against fire, and also speak regularly at schools to speak with pupils
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and teachers to raise fire safety awareness. Over 400 students, teachers and staff have been trained on
fire safety and prevention this way (Hanif, 2012).
2.10.4.2.
Department Resources
DCD has integrated systems with over 32,000 buildings across the city. Through a central control system
in the operations room of the DCD department, if a fire breaks out in any of these buildings, DFD will be
notified via electronic signals. Human intervention will not be required to raise the alarm (Al Yammahi,
2013).
Dubai possesses a well integrated network of fire stations with advanced firefighting technology.
2.10.4.3.
Department Budget
In 2008, the DFD allocated a budget of DH300 million as part of a 7 year service upgradation plan.
DH150 million had been used to purchase world-class equipment for use in rescue operations,
particularly for high-rise buildings (Emirates247, 2008). The money is also utilized for building new fire
stations, introducing modern engines and equipment and building partnerships with industry players to
ensure adherence to safety standards. Between 2009 and 2011, over 240 new types of equipment were
purchased for upgradation purposes (Hanif, 2012).
2.10.4.4.
In conjunction with the Dubai Police Air Wing, DFD announced the creation aerial firefighting unit in
2005, making it the first city in the UAE to utilize aerial fire suppression techniques. The helicopters
would be operated by Dubai Polices Air Wing for fire dousing as well as evacuation purposes (Theeb,
2006).
2.10.4.4.1.
Helicopter Models
The first 2 models procured by DFD were Italian Agusta 109s water-spraying units which can refill
water within 2 minutes. In 2012s Dubai Helishow, a Russian helicopter (model KA-32A11BC) was
introduced that is equipped to fight fires on top of the Burj Khalifa (Arabian Aerospace, 2012)
2.10.4.4.2.
Technology Additions
New technology is being added to Dubais fire departments to reduce the risk faced by their firemen. Hitech firefighting equipment ranging from a mobile media centre for fire coverage to American-made
diamond-tipped "strong arm" has been added. The strong arm device is designed to be used in closed
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or dangerous areas that are difficult for firefighters to reach. It can spray up to 6,000 litres of water per
minute. Dubai is the second place in the world, after Turkey, to use the device.
Fire centre operations rooms have screens that are linked to fire-pump and lift systems in all buildings
within DFDs network.
A newly constructed fire center has circular shaped operations room on top of a five storey building,
which overlooks the area the centre is responsible for covering (Dajani, 2010).
2.10.4.4.3.
Water Sources
Dubai is a coastal city; the sea is a readily available body of water. Additionally, helicopters can collect
water from open air swimming pools as well.
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Karachi is the largest metropolitan city in Pakistan, and ranks as the second most populated city in the
world (Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, 2013). A coastal city, Karachi is an important hub for trade and
commerce, and its geographic position has led many to call it Gateway to Asia. The city is also a
financial and commercial center, home to industrial zones as well large corporations, both local and
multinational (Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, 2013).
2.11.1.1.
In 2007, the CDGK (now Karachi Metropolitan Corporation) issued the Karachi Strategic Development
Plan 2020. The vision driving this document was transforming Karachi into a world class city and
economic center with a decent life for Karachiites.
The city of Karachi has grown from the old town and the port at the sea outwards along radial avenues
that connect all city segments to the port (City District Government of Karachi , 2007). To accommodate
Karachis burgeoning population, the Strategic Development Plan 2020 seeks to encourage vertical
development. Vertical development or high-rise growth is part of a Spatial Growth Strategy, where
floor addition to buildings in designated areas will allow for vertically increased space for housing,
business, offices etc. In particular, this development will focus on Saddar, Jamshed, North Nazimabad,
Gulberg, SITE and Shah Faisal (City District Government of Karachi , 2007). According to the plan, highrise apartment buildings would help remove housing shortages and improve living conditions. Thus, the
role of Karachis governing body is to include permitting and guiding vertical development of high-rise as
well as mid-rise development. The plan also envisions the creation of new urban centers so as to
alleviate the severely congested current centers such as Saddar, alongside water front high-rise
development along the coast. High rise hotels, multi-purpose buildings, luxury apartments, and parking
facilities are being planned so to provide Karachis citizens with the amenities needed to elevate
standards of living (City District Government of Karachi , 2007). All these development plans are to be
conducted in association with the Karachi Building Control Authority.
62 | P a g e
In 2008, KBCA set zoning requirements for areas where high-rise development could take place, and
capped building height at around 40 stories as opposed to the 100 stories envisioned in the 2020 Plan. In
addition, in early 2013 the Sindh Government approved the formation of the Karachi High Density
Development Board a body that is to work with building agencies, public and private, and monitor
skyscrapers and high-rise development. Most recently the board has given permission for the
construction of a 42- storey building that will be known as Hoshang Tower (The Nation, 2013).
At present, there are over 82 completed high-rise buildings (buildings with 15+ stories) in Karachi
ranging from the 28 storey Ocean Tower to the 15 storey IBM Tower (Wikipedia, 2013). Another 22 are
under construction, including Bahria Icon Tower which upon completion will be Pakistans tallest
building, standing at 62 stories (Wikipedia, 2013).
2.11.2.
Karachi Governance
The Karachi metropolitan corporation was formed in 1976, and was the prime governing body until 1994
(Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, 2013).Two years later the metropolitan area was divided into five
districts, each with a dedicated municipal corporation.
In 2001, five districts of Karachi were merged to form the city district of Karachi. It was structured as a
three-tier federation, with the two lower tiers composed of 18 towns and 178 union councils, with each
tier focused on elected councils with some common members to provide "vertical linkage" within the
federation. (Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, 2013)
Then in 2011, the Sindh Local Government Ordinance 1979 was revived, and the City District
Government of Karachi was separated into its five original constituent districts namely Karachi East,
Karachi West, Karachi Central, Karachi South and District Malir. These five districts form the Karachi
Division now. There are also six military cantonments which are administered by the Pakistan Army. The
Karachi Metropolitan Corporation oversees the City Fire Brigade and works in association with the
Karachi Building Control Authority.
2.11.3.
Helicopter Industry
2.11.3.1.
Public Sector
Pakistan's helicopter fleet has been ageing and while there has been infusion of new helicopters in the
form of UH-60s Mi-17s and others, there is a shortage. This is due to the present war in the tribal areas,
63 | P a g e
where helicopters shortage is being felt. It is also due to the extreme topography of the north, where an
undeclared border conflict continues to consume resources against India. (Pakistan's Helicopter
Problem, 2013)
One of the key features of the Pakistani helicopter fleet is the diversity of the helicopters available.
These include:
Table 2.11-1: Aircraft types in Public Sector of Pakistan
Type
Bell AH-1F/S Cobra
Eurocopter AS550 C3 Fennec
Arospatiale Puma
Mil Mi-17
Bell 206 Jet Ranger
Bell 407
Bell 412
Bell UH-1 Huey
Eurocopter AS550 U2 Fennec
Arospatiale Alouette III
Arospatiale SA-315B Lama
Quantity
44
10
30
92
15
45
25
30
50
43
34
Role
Attack Helicopter
Attack Helicopter
Transport Helicopter
Transport Helicopter
Utility Helicopter
Utility Helicopter
Utility Helicopter
Utility Helicopter
Utility Helicopter
Utility Helicopter
Utility Helicopter
These are mostly attack helicopters, transport helicopters or utility helicopters - a multipurpose helicopter that can fill roles such ground attack, air assault, cargo, MEDEVAC, command and
control, and troop transport- used by the Pakistan Army. (Wikipedia, 2013)
2.11.3.2.
Private Sector
The private sector comprises of a few companies that are mostly engaged in offering helicopter charter
services namely: (Air Charter Guide, 2013)
1. Aircraft Sales & Services Pvt. Ltd Karachi
Established: 1972
Fleet: 7
Pilots: 9 full time
Certificate: 007/96(Licensed to fly ME)
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Aircraft Type
BE-1900C (COMMUTER)
BE-1900D (COMMUTER)
CE-406 (CARAVAN II)
FK-F27-500
PA-34 (SENECA)
PA-34 (SENECA)
PA-34 (SENECA)
Category
Turboprop Airliner
Turboprop Airliner
Turboprop
Turboprop Airliner
Piston-Multi
Piston-Multi
Piston-Multi
Seats
19
19
12
50
5
5
5
Charter Services
Helicopter Safari:
Fly
Rescue Services: The Rescue Operations are backed by a fleet of Pakistan Army aircraft.
Askari Aviation only coordinates the effort between the client in need of rescue and the
Army. They clearly state that there must be an alternate plan for rescue, if the helicopter is
not released by the Army.
Mi-17 US $9,246/Hour
Ecureuil US $ 3,017/Hour
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These rates can be revised by GHQ, Army Aviation at any time without prior notice.
Table 2.11-3: Fleet of Askari Aviation Pvt. Ltd.
Aircraft Type
AS-350B-3 (EUROCOPTER)
MI-17
AS-350B-3 (EUROCOPTER)
L-1011-250 (TRISTAR)
L-1011-250 (TRISTAR)
L-1011-500 (TRISTAR)
L-1011-500 (TRISTAR)
SA-316B (ALOUETTE III)
Y-12
AS-350B-3 (EUROCOPTER)
AS-350B-3 (EUROCOPTER)
MI-17
Category
Helicopter
Helicopter
Helicopter
Jet Airliner
Jet Airliner
Jet Airliner
Jet Airliner
Helicopter
TurboProp
Helicopter
Helicopter
Helicopter
Seats
3
18
3
305
305
305
305
3
14
2 (or Ambulance)
2 (or Ambulance)
18
Aircraft Type
CE-152
CE-172N (SKYHAWK 100)
CE-182 (SKYLANE)
CE-310O (CESSNA 310)
CE-414A (CHANCELLOR)
CE-414A (CHANCELLOR)
Category
Piston-Single
Piston-Single
Piston-Single
Piston-Multi
Piston-Multi
Piston-Multi
Seats
1
3
4
4 (or Ambulance)
6 (or Ambulance)
7
66 | P a g e
Aircraft Type
AS-350B-2 (EUROCOPTER)
AS-350B-2 (EUROCOPTER)
AS-350B-2 (EUROCOPTER)
CE-550-B (CITATION BRAVO)
CL-601 (CHALLENGER 601)
CL-604 (CHALLENGER 604)
EC-130
Category
Helicopter
Helicopter
Helicopter
Light Jet
Heavy Jet
Heavy Jet
Helicopter
Seats
3
3
3
7
10
10
7
Aircraft Type
B-707
Category
Jet Airliner
Seats
Cargo Only
The Pakistani private aviation industry remains a small one. Sources in the industry say that politicians
appear to be leading the way in discovering the value of such services, faster that business executives at
Princely Jets commercial rates (paid mostly by political parties) come to between $4,000 and $6,000 per flight
hour.
67 | P a g e
most major companies in Pakistan. In the rest of the world, it is the opposite: business leaders started
using planes first, and only later did politicians discover uses for it, said an industry expert.
Princely Jets is part of the Akbar Group of Companies, which started Shaheen Air International in the
early 1990s before selling it off in 1995. The company has a virtual monopoly on the private aviation
market as an external provider, but it is not the only company that owns its own private planes. (Express
Tribune, 2013)
2.11.4.
Regulatory Framework
In 2010, the Fire and Safety Association of Pakistan submitted a draft of Pakistans first ever National
Fire Safety Policy. The policy draft represented the first holistic legal document that would
institutionalize fire safety at all levels, tying in fire prevention, management and safety requirements.
However, in 2012 the policy was still being debated with a final structure having been finalized, but still
awaiting approval and implementation (Anjum, 2012). However, this policy is still under review for an
indefinite period of time.
The KBCA is responsible for ensuring compliance with fire safety regulations and building by-laws. The
Karachi Building Town Planning Regulations 2002 sets down clear fire safety requirements (Karachi
Buiilding Town Planning Regulations, 2002 ):
Buildings and construction projects must consult with agencies and authorities and seek their
assistance in fire protection services
Fire escapes and fire hydrants should be provided and clearly demarcated, and kept free of
obstructions at all times
Water storage tanks must have 1-day supply at all times, with 25% reserved for fire-fighting
purposes
Fire resistance and fire precaution measures must be taken by all buildings
Pipes, fixtures, fittings, extinguishers etc. must be approved by the City Fire Department, and
clearly bear an approval mark before being installed
Automatic fire sprinkler systems that can also set off fire alarms must be in place with a
connection to the Fire Department
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Fire alarms should be in place in hotels, dorms, hospitals, schools, mercantile buildings, factory
buildings, offices, cinemas etc. where the buildings have a certain number of people occupying
at least 1 floor above the ground floor
Fire resistant materials are dictated based on different heights and purposes of buildings
Fire resistant doors, non-combustible materials, fire resistance shafts, walls, connecting points
between rooms and buildings are all required
2.11.5.
Karachi Metropolitan Corporation is the governing body overseeing the Karachi City Fire Brigade. At
present, all emergency firefighting services in the city are provided by the government via the City
Brigade, which can call on the Navy, KPT etc. for additional support as and when required.
Compared to Punjab and soon KPK, Sindh as a province is highly ill-prepared in terms of fire safety.
Punjab has the most sophisticated emergency response setup in the form of Rescue 1122, which is now
branching into KPK. Lahore has its own Fire Safety Commission no such body exists for Karachi.
2.11.5.1.
In Karachi, there are a total of 22 fire stations in 22 different areas. The areas in which the fire stations
are located are:
1. Fire Head Quarters-Central Fire Station
2. Baldia Town
3. Saddar
5. Nazimabad
6. Bolton Market
7. Lyari
8. Gulistan-e-Johar
9. S.I.T.E
11. Korangi
13. Landhi
14. Malir
15. Gulistan-e-Mustafa
18. Gulistan-e-Iqbal
20. Gulshan-e-Maymar
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The Karachi Fire Department aims to increase the number of fire stations to 200, as currently one fire
station serves around 100,000 (one hundred thousand) people since there is a lack of resources
(equipment and manpower)
2.11.5.2.
Department Structure
At the Central Fire Station there are 125 staff members with 12 hour shifts
Figure 2.11-1: Department Structure of Karachi Fire Department
Engineering Wing
2.11.5.3.
Administration Wing
Operational Wing
Department Services
1. A-Type Fires: Major High-rise zones including Ground + 14 to 15 story buildings. For this they
require:
3 Fire Tenders with a crew of 9 people (*details same as above for fire tender).
2.11.5.4.
Karachi today is the worlds second most populated city, standing at 21.2 million citizens. At present, the
City Fire Brigade only has 43 fire tenders (fire trucks) to cater to fire hazards around the city, whereas
ideally there should be a minimum of 200 (The News Correspondent, 2012). In addition, there are 22 fire
stations, 3 snorkels and dousers and a severe dearth of fire hydrants and water sources for fire-fighting
purposes (The News Correspondent, 2012).
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Resource Type
Fire Stations
Fire Tenders
Aerial Ladders
Rescue Units
Foam Units
Water Bowzer (44000 capacity)
Water Bowzer (ERC)
Special Unit
Isuzu Tanker (Snorkel Feeder)
Radio Mobile Control Unit
Break Down
Command Unit
Industrial Firefighting
Urban Search & Rescue Unit
Total Fleet
Total Firefighters
Quantity
22
50
3
3
1
4
1
1
2
1
1
1
0
0
67
1,356
Fire Station
Central Fire Station
Saddar
Nazimabad
Lyari
S.I.T.E
Landhi
Gulistan-e-Mustafa
Orangi
Shah Faisal
Manzoor Colony
New Karachi
Baldia Town
E.R.C Hawks Bay
Bolton Market
Gulistan-e-Johar
Cattle Colony
Civic Center
Malir
Gulistan-e-Iqbal
Gulshan-e- Maymar
Vehicles/Units
11
3
3
3
6
4
7
3
2
1
3
1
2
1
2
1
1
3
1
1
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2.11.5.5.
Department Budget
KMC has announced a total budget of Rs. 35.9 billion for developmental work in Karachi. Of this, Rs. 140
million has been dedicated to the upgradation of the City Fire Brigade (Karachi Metropolitan
Corporation, 2013).
2.11.5.6.
The Karachi City Fire Brigade does not provide aerial firefighting services to the citizens of Karachi.
However, it calls upon the Navy or KPT to offer helicopter assistance for evacuation purposes in fire
disaster situations.
2.11.5.7.
Sources of Water
Internal Sources:
Table 2.11-9: Karachi Fire Department Internal Sources of Water
Fire Station
Central Fire Station
Saddar
Nazimabad
Lyari
S.I.T.E
Korangi
Landhi
Gulistan-e-Mustafa
Orangi
Capacity (Gallons)
75,000
45,000
75,000
50,000
70,000
70,000
100,000
200,000
100,000
External Sources:
In case of shortage of water, crew or equipment, the following agencies are contacted for assistance and
help:
Navy
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Public Sector
a) Budget Allocated
b) Fire Stations
c) Fleet Size
Private Sector
a) Fleet Size
Portland
377
593,820
11,331
*1304/yr
American
Helicopter
Services &
Firefighting
Association
(AHSAFA)
-
$9.3 million
30
72
Yes - Columbia
Helicopters Inc.
22
I. Location Facts
Tokyo
Cape Town
8574
2455
37.3 million
3.74 million
11,396
3,001
NA
*60.5/yr
Tokyo
Cape Peninsula
Metropolitan
Fire Protection
Government
Association
30
0
Yes Titan
Helicopter Group
8
III. Sources Of Water
Public Sources
Lakes, Ponds,
Rivers, Oceans
Fire cisterns or
reservoirs,
Rain-water
storage, Water
processing
plants
Private Source
Portable Dip
Tanks
Dubai
4144
2.1 million
1,057
NA
Dubai Civil
Defence
Karachi
3527
21.2 million
15,568
NA
Karachi Metropolitan
Corporation
Yes - Dubai
Civil Defence
$81.7 million
$1.32 million
14
2 (min)
-
22
0
Princely Jets
Sea, open-air
swimming
pools
*A yearly average has been taken out for High Rise Fire Trends of different cities due trend figures available for differing
number of years
73 | P a g e
2.12.1.
Compared to Portland, Tokyo, Cape Town and Dubai, Karachi City Fire Brigade is severely underequipped in fire safety resources. Karachi is the second most populated city in the world with a
population of 21.2 million, and has the highest population density of 6010.77 people per square
kilometer compared to the other 4 cities.
Karachi is also limited in terms of water sources such as fire hydrants, fire trucks, snorkels, aerial ladders
etc. and the City Fire Brigade has no dedicated aircrafts. If needed, the Fire Brigade can request the Navy
or KPT to deploy a helicopter for evacuation purposes, such as in the case of the PNSC fire.
Fire men are untrained, underpaid and un-appreciated expected to work in the most dangerous
situations without even basic fire safety gear.
Fire stations are antiquated structures, most of which were formed over 40 years ago. Fire disasters
cause heavy causalities and great loss of social and economic wealth in congested urban areas, so the
plan of fire station location has an essential significance for urban security. Currently Karachi has 22 fire
stations essentially 1 fire station for every 1 million people in the city. This is in stark contrast to the
city of Portland, which has 30 fire stations for a population of only 593,000 people.
In Karachi due to heavy traffic congestion, location of rescue centers for provision of quick response is
essential. Time-lapse in fire protection is the most severe problem in unplanned and highly populated
areas. However, there is no strategy driving the locations of fire station and fire response units around
the city (Burke, Huda, & Azam, 2011).
2.12.2.
A distinct feature of Japan and the UAE is that both possess a holistic set of fire safety regulations that
are applicable across the country. Japan is far superior to other countries in terms of implementing
these laws, as the country is highly vulnerable to natural disasters and repeated exposure has engrained
safety consciousness in their national culture. Dubai has received much criticism for being lax in
implementation and auditing to ensure fire safety compliance, but in recent years Dubai Civil Defence
has taken holistic steps to remedy this. In USA, after the mid-1970s, new high-rise buildings were
required by law to be sprinkler protected (as a minimal protection standard).
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Pakistan at present does not have a national fire safety policy in place, though one is currently being
drafted and pending approval. Provincial differences exist in levels of preparation and commitment to
safety, emergency operations and disaster management. Punjab possesses its own Fire Safety
Commission and a province-wide emergency service provider in the form of Rescue 1122. Sindh has no
such unified system of operation.
KBCA and the Factories Act of 1934 are in place to dictate fire safety requirements within buildings,
factories and construction projects. However, implementation of these laws is woeful, with any
buildings lacking even a basic fire escape and yet suffering no penalty.
No regulations are in place that could govern an aerial firefighting unit for Pakistan. Additionally,
building codes at present in Dubai, Japan, USA or South Africa do not require a helipad or emergency
landing space as part of the construct of the building. However, a study group commissioned by the
Helicopter Association International (HAI) Heliport Committee determined that incorporating an
Emergency Helicopter Landing Facility (EHLF) atop high-rise buildings that exceeded a predetermined
height, could facilitate the safe and orderly utilization of helicopters, and would ultimately save lives and
property (Sanderson, 2003). Yet no evidence of such a clause was found in the building codes of the
aforementioned countries.
2.12.3.
Dubai and Cape Town are cities that are still developing skylines are being upgraded with time. Karachi
has largely been a horizontal city, but recent years have brought fresh and modern additions to the
landscape. The Karachi Strategic Development Plan 2020 envisions Karachi as a global city with modern
amenities needed to provide citizens with an excellent living standard. However, while buildings are on
the rise, supporting infrastructure development in the city is still lacking.
The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation has devoted 60%+ of its revenue budget 2013-2014 towards road
development, yet elements such as fire safety and security have a minimal budget devoted to them,
with no clear development policy or framework in place. Currently, KBCA has allowed buildings with an
average of 40+ stories to be built, but 100+ storey projects are on the horizon as well. But, the rate at
which urban development is happening is outstripping regulatory provisions, compliance elements and
city infrastructure.
75 | P a g e
firefighting, it would provide an incentive for operators to put these airplanes on the contracts,
assuring an adequate number of assets for the states, to be used for fire protection. When using private
operators, the state would have the advantage of utilizing highly trained professional crews from the
outset.
Examples of successful private sector models in USA:
Columbia Helicopters
Rogers Helicopters
These private companies are members of AHSAFA, the Washington-based trade association
representing the commercial operators of helicopters and fixed wing aircraft engaged in aerial
firefighting. (American Helicopter Services & Aerial Firefighting Association, 2013)
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Chapter
PRINCELY JETS
Industry Analysis
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A survey was carried out to evaluate the awareness of fire hazards and various mitigation strategies of
Karachi based companies in different industries, what precautions they take currently, and their
willingness to explore an aerial fire service to mitigate exceptionally hazardous fire incidents. The
objective of Phase 1 is Problem Identification by conducting the industry analysis exercise describe
further in this section, we reviewed the market to identify gaps in fire mitigation strategies available.
The geographic scope of the surveys was restricted to Karachi. To shortlist the companies that needed
to be visited, the citys vast industrial sector was divided into eight major segments, namely Health Care,
Education, Hospitality, Oil and Gas, Power Generation, Industrial and Housing Zones, Pharmaceutical
and Chemical Companies, and Commercial, Retail and Corporate.
Two companies were selected in each segment for this research, while the last segment, Commercial,
Retail and Corporate, comprised of four companies. It was not easy to get interviews from Industrial
and Housing Zones Authorities; hence there is just one respondent in that category.
A total of seventeen companies were visited for this survey and their names are listed below. All the
seventeen surveys were compiled and the results are summarized in the following pages.
1. Health Care
i.
ii.
2. Education
i.
ii.
3. Hospitality
i.
Avari Hotels
ii.
Marriott
ii.
5. Power Generation
i.
ii.
PARCO
ii.
Linde Pakistan
ii.
Dolmen City (The Harbor Front Tower; Executive Tower, Dolmen Mall)
iii.
iv.
The following pages provide an overview of the different questions/parameters that were assessed
during the course of the Industry Analysis.
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3.1. Question 1
How often do fires break out in Karachi?
Figure 3.1-1: General Reasons why Fires Break out Frequently in Karachi
9
8
7
8
7
5
4
3
2
1
0
Basic negligence
Lack of preparedness
and Inadequacy
Unawareness
The general response was the participants felt that fires broke out very often in Karachi. When probed
on why, the participants cited general factors that cause frequency of fires to be so high including lack of
preparedness and inadequacy, followed by negligence and unawareness.
Lack of preparedness touches upon the fact that for a city of 21 million (Khan, 2012) population, public
sector services are hardly adequate. As per our research, Chief Fire Officer Ehtishamuddin admitted that
instead of having the requisite 206 fire stations based on Karachis population, we just have 21. He
agreed that this is a serious deficiency in the fire protection and fire suppression facilities that citizens
have access to. This inadequacy results in loss of life and property. The Central Fire Stations research on
gap analysis of London and Karachis fire stations reveals that Karachi is significantly behind; with the
most shocking being the 2538% gap in service units. In terms of fire fighters, Karachi is understaffed by
605%.
Negligence was the second most cited reason. It comprises of indifference towards safety protocol,
using substandard wiring and lack of safety features and procedures in place, failure to comply with
safety standards, conduct audits and maintenance and adhere to building regulations.
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Unawareness, along with negligence, was the second most cited reason. A fire starts when the triangle
of fire completes. The triangle comprises of a) oxygen b) heat and c) fuel. Knowing how a fire starts is
essential in putting out a fire. Negligently stacking files up to ceiling causes the triangle of fire to
complete by giving fuel to heat and oxygen.
Unawareness also refers to the absence of a safety mind-set or culture in organizations. It also refers to
unawareness regarding building codes and management where the owner hardly puts any thought into
the safety and preventive features because he does not even know.
Deep rooted corruption practices and the fact that resources are diverted from the most pressing
issues to avenues of personal preference were among other reasons that were cited by the respondents.
Interviewees from the hospitality industry and the corporate & commercial sector vehemently said that
the people responsible for check and balance and implementing control hardly carry out their assigned
responsibilities and due to this reason they have resorted to private safety measures.
The respondents recognized that fire was an issue in the city of Karachi and they quoted many reasons
which have been classified into categories for the purpose of analysis. All analysis is derived from the
interviews, transcriptions of which are attached in the appendix.
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3.2. Question 2
What do you feel are specific causes/factors behind fire outbreaks?
Figure 3.2-1: Key Factors behind fire outbreaks
15
14
10
7
3
Arson/ terrorism
Water availability
Non-adherence to
building codes
Low quality
construction
Irresponsible
management
Lack of awareness/
safety culture
Corruption
11
Poor circuitry/
wiring material/
short circuiting
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
The first question provided insights into why fires occur so frequently in the city. In this question, we
wished to explore specific catalysts that cause fires to spark.
The 17 respondents quoted various key factors for the fire outbreaks. All sectors, namely health care,
hospitality, corporate, educational institutes, chemical, oil and gas voted that irresponsible management
was the leading cause of fire outbreaks. An example of irresponsible management on the part of the
building owners includes not managing the electricity load and not enforcing safety practices. This
confirms the findings of the first question where negligence was amongst the most quoted reasons for
frequent fires in Karachi.
Another facet is failure to adhere to building standards. Respondents from PARCO, Avari, AKUH and
Centrepoint commented that often times building plans are approved but they hardly see the light of
the day. Building codes and safety codes are openly violated even in tall high scale buildings.
A key facet of building management is proper wiring, use of good quality materials so that short
circuiting does not happen. This is the most cited reason when fires do break out. Of the recent fires in
83 | P a g e
Karachi, fires at Ali Enterprises, Baldia Town (one of the deadliest fires the city has ever seen), the two
fires at PNSC Building, Moulvi Tamizuddin Khan Road and State Life Building No. 11, Abdullah Haroon
Road all occurred due to short circuiting. Short circuits are also the top cause of fire outbreaks, based on
the report compiled by Rescue 1122 discussed in the Literature Review section of this report.
Our research from the eight sectors suggested that our mind-set is not geared towards a safety culture.
This becomes a very big risk in industries which deal in highly flammable material such as gas, fertilizer,
chemicals and oil.
Another insight is that low quality construction and corruption are usually interrelated. However,
corruption is more deeply ingrained and it often plagues national institutions which lead honest public
servants to not carry out their duties properly as further confirmed by the Chief Fire Officer
Ehtishamuddin.
Political reasons are behind arson cases. Our research at Avari, Creek Vista and Centrepoint revealed
that the respondents thought that arson is done to collect insurance money or burn important records
and is a big threat and should be recognized as such. They further said that terrorism is a growing threat
for which building owners and management need to take a serious step for safety.
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3.3. Question 3
How well prepared are we as a city to fight fires? What steps do you think could
be taken to enhance protection and security against fire breakouts?
All the respondents unanimously agree that as a city, Karachi lacks preparedness to fight fires. The
recurring themes were:
a) Lack of facilities: A city of Karachis scale should have sufficient fire tenders, fire snorkels,
trained firemen, fire extinguishers, fire hydrants etc. This is a systemic problem, apparent in the
lack of facilities and town planning as well as the lack of a safety-oriented attitude and culture.
As discussed earlier in the gap analysis between London Fire Station and Karachi Fire Station,
(provided by the City Fire Brigade) Karachi needs an additional 9,564 fire safety personnel to
meet the ratio of London Fire stations ratio of one staff member for 1,134 people and one fire
station for approximately 7000 residents. Since fire safety falls under goods that are provided by
the government, the government should allocate funds responsibly so that the best products
and facilities are availed by our industries and economy.
b) Awareness: Respondents suggested that citizens do not have much awareness about fire safety,
its prevention and subsequent suppression. Our country lacks the basic education in this regard
which is why even educated people and building owners are unable to eliminate the risk of fire
on their property. Many respondents were of the opinion that in countries abroad, children are
given basic fire education right from their schools so that when they grow up, they act as aware
and responsible individuals. If we could have accomplished a similar level of education and
awareness, i) many fires would have been prevented, ii) fires could have been extinguished
sooner, iii) less damage to life and property would have occurred, and iv) the firemen could have
done a better job with support of trained volunteers. Chief Fire Officer Ehtishamuddin stressed
upon the fact that western countries have a very strong system of fire safety but despite that
they heavily rely on a network of trained volunteers so that the sense of responsibility is present
in all citizens and the national exchequer is not overly burdened.
c) Attitude and pride of a fireman: According to the Chief Fire Officer Ehtishamuddin, our firemen
are at the bottom of the rung for sought after government jobs. They lack pride because nobody
gives them respect. He further said that they have one of the most dangerous jobs in the world,
are under paid and over worked, lacking any support system. He further reiterated that the
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government due to its high level of corruption fails to allocate a respectable amount of
resources, hence the burden of the job falls on to the poor firemen who take it upon themselves
to fight fires without having proper protective gear. Their work ethic and performance will
improve if they are paid better, given better working conditions, and given respect by their
countrymen. Firefighting needs to be emphasized as a profession of choice so that merit prevails
and educated youth and HSE professionals join its ranks.
In addition to that, a fire safety professional at Dolmen mentioned that Pakistan has access to all the
best fire safety equipment in the world and that knowledge in emerging economies is growing as they
are in the process of building their economy and real estate development is on the rise. There should be
no reason that we should use sub-standard products.
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3.4. Question 4
How many facilities/offices does your organization have?
The respondents belonging to various sectors described the scope of their facilities. The health care
sector comprised of Aga Khan University Hospital and Ziauddin Hospital and both differ significantly in
their facilities. Ziauddin has one standalone building at their Clifton campus whereas AKUH comprises of
many standalone buildings.
However, sectors such as chemical and fertilizer, and oil and gas are much more complicated with widespread facilities such as factories and plants, warehouses, terminals, depots etc. all over the city. Engro,
Linde, PSO, SSGC, PARCO and KESC fall into this category. For such companies, due to the nature of the
product, it is essential to have a very thorough fire safety plan to avoid any accidents with the highly
flammable products.
Educational institutions such as CBM and IBA have a very big responsibility as the head count at any
point in the day includes hundreds of students. With spread out facilities such as classrooms, labs, cafes,
libraries, etc., the student body is also not gathered at one point; hence evacuation plans and exits are
needed from each facility. CBM has one wide spread campus where as IBA has two campuses; Main
campus being more spread out while City campus has a 14 story building under construction.
Tall buildings such as HBL Plaza, Centrepoint and Dolmen have their own risks due to the sheer height
and the difficulty in evacuation. HBL Plaza has 22 floors, Dolmen 20 stories, whereas Centrepoint has 28
floors and a swimming pool.
Within the hospitality sector Avari and Mariott are standalone buildings. However they have facilities
such as a boiler/plant room, kitchens, swimming pool and guest rooms.
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3.5. Question 5
At present, what fire management resources does your organization provide to
these different facilities?
The grid below specifies the individual fire safety systems and mechanisms used by each respondent.
Table 3.5-1: Check list of fire management resources available in different organizations
Company
Fire prevention
3
Fire suppression
AKUH
Avari
CBM
Centrepoint
Creekvista
DIB
Dolmen
Engro
HBL
IBA
Linde
Marriott
PARCO
PSO
SSGC
Ziauddin
KESC
10
13
14
15
16
8
4
8
5
18
Total
17
12
11
Evacuation
9
8
6
9
7
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Fire Alarms
7.
2.
Smoke Detectors
8.
Extinguisher/
portable fire
pump
9.
Fire Proof
Construction
Material
4.
INERGEN
10. PPE
Heat Sensors
5.
Centralized
systems 8
6.
Sprinkler
Based on the systems and mechanisms in place, as indicated in the table on the previous page, a grading
system is devised to rank each respondents level of fire safety preparation:
Table 3.5-3: Grading Scale for Fire Management Resource Availability
Points
1-3
4-6
7 and above
Grade
Not satisfactory
Basic level fire safety
Advanced fire safety
As per the chart above, only one organization falls in the unsatisfactory category, namely Ziauddin
hospital. We feel that this organization needs to increase its level of fire preparedness to a great degree.
35% of the respondents fall into the basic level of fire safety. This category includes both the educational
institutes IBA and CBM, the corporate and commercial organizations such as Creek Vista and DIB.
However this category also includes KESC and PARCO.
Amongst the highly prepared organizations Dolmen, Linde and PSO stand out as the most prepared of
all.
Centrepoint, Avari Hotel, AKUH, Engro, HBL and Marriott follow next in terms of level of
preparedness. It can be seen that local organizations such as Engro, PSO, HBL, Dolmen, Centrepoint have
taken proactive safety measures and are on par with international organizations such as Linde and
Marriott Hotel.
Organizations had various definitions for centralized systems. Whereas some considered Building Management
System (BMS) as a centralized system, others considered a CCTV setup of fire monitoring as a comprehensive
centralized system.
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Both organizations of the hospitality industry have scored well as they have to be very concerned with
safety measures as many lives are at stake. The common factor amongst buildings such as HBL,
Centrepoint and Dolmen is that they are all tall buildings which house offices and have incorporated
many safety measures internally to overcome the risks that come with tall buildings.
Disclaimer: The above analysis has been based on the interviews of the 17 respondents belonging to 8
sectors. The respondents were asked a general (unaided) question regarding their facilities. For the sake
of analysis their answers have been classified into the table above. However no weightage has been
assigned to the facilities they have and organizations with more marks may not necessarily have the best
suited facilities, hence a comparison is not possible. Also the definitions and scope of the facilities has
not been accounted for when assigning a rating. The answers might slightly differ in reality had they
been presented with aided questions, specific definitions and a checkbox chart. However for the sake of
analysis their transcriptions have been used for classification of facilities.
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3.6. Question 6
Do you conduct emergency response trainings for your employees?
100% of all respondents from all sectors responded in affirmative with regards to training. However the
level of training differs amongst the sectors.
Table 3.6-1: Emergency Response Training
Name of Company
1. AKUH
2. Avari
3. CBM
4. Centrepoint
5. Creek Vista
6. DIB
7. Dolmen
8. Engro
9. HBL
10. IBA
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
Linde
Marriott
PARCO
PSO
SSGC
Ziauddin
17. KESC
Training
Fire Drill
Compliant to JCIA standards,
Yearly Evacuation drills
Training for nurses based on hypothetical
scenarios also conducted.
Monthly trainings and drills for employees Quarterly drills in which the
guests are also involved
Awareness session for new batches, Evacuation drill also take place
including evacuation training.
Quarterly training by external company
Once the building is functional key Will be initiated when the building
personnel from the tenants are trained
becomes functional.
No training
No evacuation drill
Regular trainings by Civil Defence Authority Regular evacuations
Weekly training for security, Monthly Yearly Evacuation drills
training for housekeeping
Monthly training for building tenants
Regularly with basic of fire fighting and At factory site, fire drills a weekly
extinguisher use
occurrence
Yearly evacuation for head office
Regular training for extinguisher use
Bi-annual evacuation drills at Plaza
Wardens have been trained for No evacuation drill carried so far
extinguisher use
Training for PNS Karsaz
Bi-annual evacuation drills
Training for the fire organization
Quarterly Evacuation drills
Regular trainings
No response
Emergency response training
Yearly evacuation drill
Quarterly trainings
Bi-annual evacuation drills
Done every 3 months by the extinguisher No evacuation drills
company
Training for fire organization
Biannual evacuation drills
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Within the medical sector, Ziauddin hospital has a very basic level of training (which is conducted by
their fire extinguisher supplier). Whereas, AKUH has a very thorough training process where
hypothetical situations are incorporated in the training process which is JCIA 9 compliant.
However, the companies in the oil and gas sector such as PSO and SSGC have regular trainings as well as
regular evacuation drills due to the highly sensitive nature of their product.
In the education sector, IBA and CBM carry out training but in the course of our interviews, we deduced
that CBM is more organized when carrying out trainings. CBM has awareness sessions for new batches,
including evacuation training. They also carry out quarterly training by an external company. At IBA only
the wardens have been trained and no official fire drill for the staff and students has been conducted
yet.
Within buildings in the corporate sector, Centrepoint is not yet functional but buildings such as HBL in
the old infrastructure and Dolmen within the newly constructed buildings, take their trainings and
evacuation drills very seriously.
Within organizations such as Linde, KESC and Engro safety is given a high priority and all three
organizations are very serious about staff training and carrying out regular fire drills so that all the
employees are well versed with safety protocol.
With respect to fire drills and evacuations, 17% of the organizations did not carry out evacuation drills,
namely IBA, Ziauddin Hospital and Creek Vista.
Within the hospitality industry, Marriott hotel and Avari hotel are very thorough with their trainings and
drills. Marriott has to follow their international code of fire safety mandated at all Marriott properties.
Whereas Avari has its own very comprehensive safety practices as well, so much so that many
international firms such as IBM only let their employees stay at Avari hotel in Karachi.
Creek Vista fared worst of the lot and has not carried out any trainings and fire drills so far despite
having all systems in place.
http://www.jointcommissioninternational.org/
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3.7. Question 7
Has your organization ever had a fire incident?
From the seventeen companies visited for this research, seven did not have any fire incidents over the
past 5-8 years, at least as far as the respondents could recall.
Amongst the remaining ten companies, Dolmen, CBM, Creek Vista, Avari Hotels, PARCO and HBL had
minor fire incidents which were handled by the internal fire management staff with ease. Two of these
fires were due to short circuits (CBM and Creek Vista) while the other two were due to human
negligence and non-compliance with precautionary procedures. At HBL, the fire was caused by a
cigarette stub, while at Dolmen it was caused by a gas geyser. This can be classified as a breach of
Dolmens safety standards which only allow electrical geysers and not gas geysers.
KESC, Marriott, AKUH and PSO had major fire incidents in the recent past according to respondents.
Marriott had fire due to bomb blasts. KESC did not disclose the details of the incident as the case is in
process in Karachi Courts; however there was one casualty in that incident. In case of PSO the fire
happened because of a fire cracker landing in its facility and the monitoring systems were not strong
enough to detect it while in AKUH it was in the air conditioning system in the hostel on a Sunday. In all
these companies the internal fire management systems were further improved after the incident.
Figure 3.7-1: Recent Fire Incidents
8
7
7
6
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
None
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3.8. Question 8
Is your building insured against fire damage?
Not all respondents were able to tell confidently about who the insurers were as this matter was mostly
dealt with by finance department. The respondent at Ziauddin had no knowledge regarding the
insurance policy and the insurers. The two buildings which are not insured are Creek Vista and HBL. Both
of these are high rise buildings with hundreds of people inside. The reason for not insuring was the same
in both cases, i.e. management wants to save money on insurance. This indicates unawareness about
the dangers a fire poses to these structures. Although these buildings have strong internal management
systems, a fire insurance policy will help them recover the losses. However the managements do not
seem to be very concerned. All the remaining buildings had fire insurance of some type.
Figure 3.8-1: Fire Insurance
16
14
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Not insured
1
Insured
Dont know
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3.9. Question 9
Are there any other emergency services you engage?
Six of the seventeen organizations do not have any agreement with any external fire dousing and
ambulatory services. Although organizations like Ziauddin and CBM do not have sufficient fire dousing
facilities, they do not have any contractual agreement or understanding with the City Fire Brigade or any
ambulatory service. However, KESC has its very own expert fire management team which not only
manages its own risk but also provides trainings across Karachi.
Newer buildings being constructed, like CenterPoint, have their exhaustive internal systems and they do
not want to rely on any of the external services for firefighting. Since the building is still unoccupied,
there are no arrangements of ambulatory services either.
The remaining organizations had some sort of contractual agreement with external service providers or
then designed their systems in a way that would be compatible with external fire management service
providers. Several companies had understandings with both, medical and fire brigade services, just in
case. Avari Hotels has gone to the extent of having its own team of medical doctors available at all times
besides the agreements with AMAN, Edhi and Chippa. Figure 3.9-1 gives a count of facilities which have
contracted these services.
Some organizations have their own emergency services working as separate department. SSGC operates
its own fire emergency team which serves its clientele. The main aim of this team is to eliminate threats
of fire from natural gas at any source and also extinguish fire when there is one. This team is run by a
dedicated SSGC team and this service is available to every home and every business which has a SSGC
gas connection. KESC, the other utility company that was visited, carries out trainings across the entire
city teaching everyone safe usage of electricity. KESC also had its own staff learn fire extinguishing and
evacuation strategies which were effectively utilized in a recent fire in KESC State Life Building where
they managed to evacuate 800 people from the office without a single scratch, however one individual,
who was a visitor to KESC, lost his life in that disaster.
It was seen that none of the visited locations (companies, offices, factories, buildings) had complete selfsufficiency in fire management but not everyone understood this and hence did not maintain relations
with external emergency services.
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7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
No other service
Medical services
Fire brigade
Other services
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3.10. Question 10
Rate your organizations preparation for fire incidents (1-not at all to 5-all
possible measures have been taken). Why have you given yourself this rating?
The table below shows the level of preparedness of each organization with regards to fire incidents.
These ratings were given by the respondents of each organization.
Table 3.10-1: Fire Preparedness Rating
Organization Name
Commercial Retail and Corporate
Centre Point (Trakker Tower)
Dolmen City (The Harbor Front Tower; Executive Tower, Dolmen Mall)
Habib Bank Limited
Dubai Islamic Bank
Health Care
Aga Khan University Hospital
Dr. Ziauddin University Hospital
Education
Institute of Business Administration (I.B.A.)
Institute of Business Management (I.O.B.M.)
Hospitality
Avari Hotels
Marriott
Oil and Gas
Sui Southern Gas Company (S.S.G.C.)
PARCO
Pakistan State Oil
Power Generation
Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (K.E.S.C.)
Industrial and Housing Zones
Creek Vista Apartments
Pharmaceutical and Chemicals
Engro Fertilizers Limited
Linde Pakistan
Rating
5
5
3
5
5
5
4
3
4
5
4
5
4
4
3.5
4.5
4
Although most organizations rated themselves above 3, there were considerable differences between
these organizations. For instance IBA rated itself as 4 and SSGC, KESC, and Linde also rated themselves
as 4, yet there was a huge difference between the facilities at IBA and the facilities at the other
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locations. This difference in rating standards might be due to the respective companies operating in
different sectors. However, the table also shows that Ziauddin and AKU gave themselves 4 each, both
operating in the same sector, with AKU having the state of art facilities while Ziauddin merely surviving
on fire extinguishers. This shows the lack of awareness in organizations regarding risks from fire and also
shows the non-serious attitude of some organizations towards fire prevention.
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3.11. Question 11
If you had one service or facility available at hand that could further enhance
your fire safety system, what would it be and why?
This question was asked to gauge the awareness and willingness of companies to subscribe to an aerial
firefighting system. The respondents were first asked if they thought anything could be added to the
citys fire dousing capabilities, and if they did not include aerial firefighting in their response, they were
specifically asked if aerial firefighting could help the city in general, and the respective company in
particular.
Two of the respondents, Linde and Ziauddin, did not respond to this question at all. Six of the
respondents stated that they do not think aerial firefighting would be useful and hence were classified in
the not interested category. These included IBA, AKUH, KESC, Creek Vista, CenterPoint and Dolmen.
Excluding KESC, PARCO and AKUH, the remaining structures are tall, comparatively new, and very
crowded, yet the respondents were not interested in the service. AKUH has a very wide area with low
height structures and hence they do not think helicopters can assist them.
Nine respondents indicated varying degrees of interest in the service. A major point of concern was the
investment. Four respondents felt it should be provided by the government. The burden of these
services should not fall on the private companies. These thoughts were highlighted by respondents at
SSGC, CBM, DIB and Engro. The respondent at PARCO was interested but he was not very sure regarding
the procedure and how the service could benefit the Company. On the other side PSO, Marriott, Avari
and HBL showed interest as well as willingness to pay from their own budgets for such a service. The
graph below shows the distribution of answers for this question.
Figure 3.11-1: Interest in Aerial Firefighting
8
6
4
2
0
No response
Not interested
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3.12. Conclusion
All respondents agreed that fire is an increasingly severe issue. They blamed this on the lack of
preparedness and adequacy of services provided by the KMC. This was further confirmed by the
research conducted by the Central Fire Station that Karachi lacks the facilities in proportion to its
population.
Irresponsible management, non-adherence to building codes and poor circuitry were cited as the root
causes for fire outbreaks. This was further supported by our research of the recent big fires in Karachi, of
which four out of five were caused due to short circuiting.
When the respondents were probed on the answer to the first question where they mentioned that the
lack of preparedness and inadequacy were among the reasons for fire outbreaks, the mentioned lack of
facilities by the fire department as the main cause. Another important point to note is the dearth of
trained HSE professionals and a strong volunteer support system the likes of which are in use in fire
stations abroad.
However on a positive note, majority of the organizations had good level of preparedness. It was
heartening to see that home grown organizations such as HBL, Engro, Avari, PSO and Centrepoint had
extremely high safety measures in places, at par with international organizations such as Marriott Hotel
and Linde.
With regards to training of staff, almost all sectors carry out trainings regarding safety equipment;
however fire drills were not carried out by 17% of the respondents.
Only four organizations of 17 organizations had major fire incidents in the last eight years. Fortunately
seven organizations did not have any incidents in the same period. This might be regarded as low
frequency, which may make it difficult to sell such a service to organizations. However, as mentioned in
Karachi Strategic Development Plan 2020, thirty more skyscrapers are expected to be added to Karachis
skyline by that year. This will increase the need for aerial firefighting services drastically assuming that
the City Fire Department does not over haul its facilities significantly.
Almost all companies have subscribed to fire insurance. This suggests that companies do want
protection against fire incidents. Having better firefighting arrangements can help companies decrease
their premium payments as also agreed by the respondent at Avari. A cost comparison of renting aerial
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firefighting services and savings on insurance premium can be very beneficial for evaluating the benefit
of such a service for each organization.
Almost 66% of the respondents indicated that they had various different agreements with fire brigades
and ambulatory services. This suggests that companies do rely on City Fire Department even though
they have minimal facilities to satisfy the needs. None of the companies had complete self-sufficiency in
dealing with emergencies and relied on external service providers. However upcoming buildings such as
Centrepoint and G4 are trying to build sophisticated internal mechanisms that will reduce their reliance
on external help, which at best is highly unreliable.
The self-rating on fire safety preparedness provided by each respondent to the respective organization
was highly subjective. In some cases it was reflective of actual facilities, while in a few cases it showed
lack of awareness and seriousness towards fighting fires effectively.
More than half of the companies showed awareness and interest in a helicopter fire dousing facility
while also showing concerns regarding its payment plans and procedures. Both the companies visited in
the hospitality sector showed interest and willingness to pay for such a service. PSO and HBL, tall
buildings which are part of the old infrastructure of the city, also showed willingness to pay for these
services. It might be possible that the older and higher a building is, the more willing the administration
might be for paying for such a service. HBL had also previously engaged a helicopter service for this
reason, unfortunately restrictions led to its cessation. However the possibility needs to be looked into in
detail.
The business model would be the key in convincing these organizations for such a service and turning
them into customers. Since the fire brigade does rely on external help of helicopters from organizations
such as KPT and Pakistan Navy, it can be established that utility of the service exists. However the ability
to pay has to be established. The costs need to be calculated and various pricing models need to be
developed which will attract customers from several segments. As stated by the interviewee at DIB, if a
multinational subscribes to this service, other multinationals will follow suit. Hence there can be a
bandwagon effect which can eventually make the business sustainable and profitable.
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Chapter
PRINCELY JETS
Business Model
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Akbar Group is widely recognized as a pioneer in Pakistans aviation industry with a well-respected
group of companies in its aviation and commercial division. It was founded in 1975 and since then has
been closely related to aviation. The Akbar Group acts as general sales agent (GSA) for over six
international airlines and manages allied businesses such as travel agencies, freight forwarding and
travel insurance.
Princely Jets is a subsidiary of the Akbar Group of Companies. Operating since 2005, Princely Jets (Pvt.)
Limited is Pakistans largest jet charter company engaged in the business of chartering private jets and
helicopters. They have a full range of aircraft including light jets such as the Citation Bravo to heavy jets
such as the Challenger as well as having heli-ambulance and executive helicopters. Princely Jets has a
fleet of 4 Jets and 5 Helicopters. They have set up an operating base at Karachi International airport
(Terminal one) and have constructed a 4,000 sq. yards hangar and state-of-the-art maintenance
workshop at Karachi airport.
With Princely Jets, the Akbar Group is all geared up to revolutionize transportation, emergency
evacuation, aerial firefighting and aerial surveillance in Pakistan.
Key Competencies:
Princely Jets is the only Pakistani general aviation operator, operating and competing
internationally.
Princely Jets is the only operator with full range of equipment in its fleet, operating light jets,
heavy jets and helicopters.
Princely Jets has equipment in place to start operations of both fixed and rotary wing
immediately.
Princely Jets already has full line maintenance capabilities for all its equipment based in Pakistan
ensuring smooth operations with minimum ground time.
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Experience:
Princely Jets has diverse experience operating both domestically and internationally for over 5 years.
They are the only private Pakistani charter service operating internationally.
Their clientele includes:
Governments
Royal Families
Foreign Offices
Banks
Corporations
Mills
NGOs
In the recent floods Princely Jets undertook rescue missions on their helicopters through NGOs and
organizations such as Mdecins Sans Frontires and have been operating an air ambulance service
(based on helicopters) for the last 2 years in Pakistan.
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Transportation of People and Goods: Transporting key personnel as well as small parts between
major cities (both domestic and international) and to far flung sites safely, in time critical
conditions.
Emergency Evacuation/Air Ambulance: Providing medical evacuation in the all critical first
Golden hour following an incident.
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Key Personnel:
Total Pilots: 16
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Total Engineers: 3
Technicians: 10
Highly Experienced: Their pilots are amongst the most experienced pilots in the industry.
Trained: All pilots, engineers, and technicians are trained at manufacturer-certified training
centers in England, United States, and Canada such as Flight Safety International.
Locally learned: Princely Jets pilots have past experience in the armed forces which gives them
extensive knowledge of the terrain and local conditions, making them ideal for missions
domestically including missions to remote and rural areas.
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Dedicated flight coordinators located at a central operations Centre, who are available 24 hours
a day, 7 days a week to assure prompt response
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4 Jets:
o
5 Helicopters
o
BO 105 (Executive): The helicopter branch of Princely Jets is operating a fleet of 3 BO105,
mainly chartered by private customers or Non-Governmental Organizations, for passengers'
transportation and medical evacuations.
BO 105 (Air Ambulance): Princely Jets medical evacuation (medevac) operator.
o
2 Eurocopter EC-130 / B4
Princely Jets acquired the EC130 B4 in November 2011. It is the quietest and most spacious
light single-engine helicopter on the market, and it was acquired with the goal of
developing its passenger transportation activity. Princely Jets uses this model for its
corporate clientele in Karachi. It is apt for the operational environment/weather in
Pakistan.
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IFE Matrix 10
Strengths
1
2
3
4
5
6
Weaknesses
1
2
3
4
5
4.6.1.1.
Ratings
5 Leased Helicopters and dedicated terminal
4
Akbar Group - Brand Image & Equity
3
Relationship with EuroCopter
4
Trained human resources
3
Availability of Capital
3
Diversified Business Portfolio
4
Ratings
High cost structure
1
No prominent marketing strategy
1
Helicopter operating limitations
2
No prior firefighting experience to show capability 1
SOPs are undefined
2
Total
Weightage
0.2
0.1
0.05
0.02
0.1
0.1
Weightage
0.1
0.08
0.1
0.1
0.05
1
Weighted Score
0.8
0.3
0.2
0.06
0.3
0.4
0.1
0.08
0.2
0.1
0.1
2.64
Strengths
1. Leased Helicopters and Dedicated Terminal: Princely Jets currently has a fleet of 5 helicopters
and a dedicated hanger at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi. A dedicated fleet allows them
to utilize the helicopters for different purposes from private transport to ambulatory care to
fire fighting services. A dedicated terminal provides a center of operations where coordination
10
The IFE Matrix presents key strengths and weaknesses of an organization. Each factor is assigned a weightage to
reflect its importance, and a rating to indicate whether its a major or minor strength or weakness. The rating scale
is: 1 (major weakness), 2 (minor weakness), 3(minor strength), 4 (major strength).
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can take place with clients and regulatory authorities, and where maintenance work can be
conducted.
2. Akbar Group Brand Image: Princely Jets is a subsidiary of the Akbar Group of companies. Akbar
Group is a major player in Pakistans aviation sector with a well-respected group of companies in
its aviation and commercial division.
3. Relationship with Eurocopter: Eurocopter is a leading aeronautical group and producer of
aviation technology. They have provided helicopters for Princely Jets fleet, and are also
dedicated providers of training for pilot, ground crew and engineering staff.
4. Availability of Capital: Aviation is a capital intensive industry. Princely Jets entered as a provider
of private charter jets and helicopters, and is prepared to make necessary investments to
diversify into emergency services such as fire dousing, rescue and evacuation.
5. Diversified Business Portfolio: Akbar Group is a strong player in the aviation sector with
businesses such as Princely Travels (travel agency) and Premier Aviation Services the national
marketing company for Amadeus in Pakistan. Akbar Group also has a commercial division that
has launched several global brands in Pakistan such as Nike and the Princeton Review. Having a
diversified set of subsidiaries allows the group to spread risk across the businesses, and so they
can venture into new, potentially risky markets with the backing of more mature, stable
businesses in their portfolio.
4.6.1.2.
Weaknesses
1. High Cost Structure: Princely Jets is engaged in a capital intensive industry with a helicopter fleet
worth millions of dollars. The helicopters incur high costs in terms of maintenance and repair,
employee training, fuel and additional equipment, and due to limited awareness/demand for
aerial fire-fighting, there is a tight control on pricing which compromises profitability.
2. Limited Marketing Activities: Princely Jets at present is engaging in organizational selling for its
aerial fire-fighting services, going directly to potential client businesses in different sectors. No
macro-level efforts are being made to create awareness regarding the need for fire safety, or to
advertise Princely Jets expanding its services into this area.
3. Helicopter Operating Limitations: Princely Jets is outfitting 1 helicopter as an aerial fire-fighting
unit. However, despite the appropriate equipment and crew training, there are several
limitations when using a helicopter to respond to a fire emergency. Helicopters cannot be
deployed at night time, have difficulty maneuvering in areas congested with buildings and/or
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electricity wires, and in fires where there are strong thermal updrafts as this interferes with a
helicopters ability to fly, hence placing the helicopter, its crew and the surrounding area in
danger.
4. No Prior Fire-fighting Experience: Princely Jets is well known for its private charter services.
However, even though they have ventured into ambulatory care, theyve received minimal
response from the market on this. This lack of prior experience could limit their credibility as a
provider of emergency response services.
5. SOPs are undefined: Aerial fire-fighting is a new business venture and Princely Jets is currently
setting up operations. As they are in the set up phase, clear standard operating procedures for
the service delivery process have not been defined.
The average score obtained via an IFE Matrix is 2.5. Princely Jets has a score of 2.64, indicating that their
internal strength is above average but there is room for improvement. By prioritizing promotion and
defining SOPs, these weaknesses can be converted into strengths to offset issues relating to credibility
as an emergency service provider operating on a high cost-high price basis.
EFE Matrix11
Opportunities
1 Increasing Security Threats
2 Increasing Natural Disasters
3 Growing Upper Class
4 Increase in High-Rise Buildings (Karachi Strategic Development
Plan 2020) 12
Ratings
3
3
4
3
Weightage
0.05
0.02
0.05
0.05
Weighted Score
0.1
0.06
0.2
0.15
11
The EFE Matrix presents key opportunities and threats that exist in Princley Jets business environment. Each
factor is assigned weightage based on its significance, and a rating to indicate how well Princely Jet s current
strategies respond to each factor. The rating scale is: 1 (response is extremely poor) to 4 (response is extremely
good).
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0.1
0.1
0.05
0.1
0.2
0.1
Weightage
0.02
0.15
0.1
0.05
0.06
1
0.6
0.3
0.02
0.3
0.1
0.1
0.12
2.25
Opportunities
1. Increasing Security Threats and Natural Disasters: Pakistan is witnessing an increase in disaster
situations, both natural and manmade. As a result, the need for emergency response services is
on the rise, whether its related to search and rescue, evacuation, ambulatory care or fire
dousing. Princely Jets can utilize its fleet of helicopters to provide these services.
2. Growing Upper Class: Princely Jets client base for private charters comprises of high worth
individuals such as bureaucrats. Pakistans upper class is growing, and usage of helicopters is
perceived as a status symbol. Gaining the patronage of high-worth individuals can create a
network effect for promoting Princely Jets as a desirable aviation service provider.
3. Increase in High-Rise buildings: The Karachi Strategic Development Plan 2020 (CDGK) envisions
an increasingly tall skyline in different parts of the city. Cities such as Tokyo and Dubai have tall
skylines and require aerial emergency response units to provide emergency rescue and
evacuation services a gap that Princely Jets can fill for Karachi.
4. Increasing Awareness of Fire Hazards: Recent high-profile fires such as Baldia Town have
stimulated awareness regarding fire hazards and need for safety precautions. Princely Jets can
capitalize on this concern to promote themselves as an emergency fire response unit.
12
The Karachi Strategic Development Plan 2020 is a document prepared by the Master Plan Group of Offices under
the City District Government Karachi. The document lays out a vision for Karachis development as a global
cosmopolitan city.
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5. Poor Central Fire Management Facilities: The City Fire Brigade is ill-equipped to cater to
Karachis growing need for emergency services. The Brigade is understaffed, under-provisioned
and inefficient as ground-based emergency service providers the City Fire Brigade can only
cater to buildings with 9 stories and below. A private sector player entering the emergency
response field would help fill the gap left in the City Fire Brigades wake.
6. Increased Threat to Old Buildings: Old construction projects in the city are at high-risk for fire
disasters. These buildings are falling into disrepair with fire hazards such as gas leaks and
exposed wires left unchecked, lacking basic safety precautions such as a fire detection and alarm
system, adequate fire escapes, and in extreme cases even basic amenities such as fire
extinguishers. These old buildings would require significant investment to overhaul and upgrade
internal fire management systems hence they would benefit from external fire safety and
management service providers such as Princely Jets in times of emergency.
4.6.2.2.
Threats
1. Changing Regulatory Framework: The Civil Aviation Authority is the key regulator of aviation
related businesses. The CAA must endorse all trainings and operational procedures and approve
them before an aviation business can launch. In a worst-case scenario, any changes in
regulations could ground Princely Jets fleet until the regulations have been complied with.
However, this is a minor threat.
2. Strong Internal Fire Management Systems: Based on our research in Phase 1 of this report, new
construction projects such as Dolmen Mall and Bahria Town are utilizing state of the art, internal
fire management systems. These internal systems are geared to detect fire incidents almost
immediately, allowing for internal safety measures to suppress fires within 3 minutes of
detection.
3. Risk of Bad Debt with Influential Clients: The risk of defaulting on payments is present, especially
when dealing with public sector clients.
4. Lack of Supporting City Infrastructure: As mentioned in the Country Benchmarking section from
Phase 1, in international cities aerial units are part of the public sector emergency response
services, and are supported by city infrastructure such as water sources and helipads. Karachi is
lacking in infrastructure needed to support an aerial emergency response unit.
5. Lack of Awareness about Aerial Firefighting: While awareness of ground-based fire brigades and
internal fire management systems are prevalent, the concept of aerial firefighting units is
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relatively unknown or considered too impractical. As a result potential clients are unwilling to
consider the option of engaging such a service.
The average score on an EFE Matrix is 2.5. Princely Jets has a score of 2.25, indicating that at present
their response to the external environment has significant room for improvement.
The above internal and external analyses show that while Princely Jets does slightly better than the
average when it comes to internal strengths, it does worse on the external responsiveness to
opportunities and threats.
The internal score is above average and is likely to improve once the operations are initiated so that
many weaknesses may be ironed out.
The reason for the low external score is the volatile economic environment of Pakistan that is prone to
many external shocks and many changing regulations to which Princely cannot effectively respond.
Porters 5 Forces
The aviation industry requires heavy investment upfront and expenditures on maintenance,
staffing, training and other upkeeps required by regulatory authorities throughout the years of
service.
All organizations in the aviation industry require approval from the aviation regulatory authority,
Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)
Having a dedicated terminal builds up operational efficiency but adds to cost and requires
regulatory approval
Dedicated and trained crew, ground staff, maintenance staff and back end operations need to
be handled by certified and trained professionals. The staff needs to be endorsed by the CAA
regulatory authority.
Strict regulations are in place aviation service providers require certifications from aviation
technology and equipment providers to indicate they are authorized to managed and maintain
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the equipment. All operating procedures, personnel, certifications etc. need to be vetted and
logged by the CAA.
Affiliations need to be developed with global aviation groups to obtain flying approval across
different locations etc.
City Fire Brigade: When it comes to older buildings which are not internally well equipped, they
can only rely on the central fire station, the threat of substitute becomes very low. The Karachi
Central Fire Station is inadequate for a city the size of Karachi, where instead of the requisite
220 fire stations, Karachi only has 21 and those too are poorly equipped and lack the training
and skill required for firefighting.
Internal Fire Management Systems: When it comes to the new infrastructure, buildings such as
Centrepoint, Dolmen and Bahria Town are very well equipped and contain modern and state-ofthe-art internal fire protection systems which reduce their reliance on external fire management
services such as central fire management service or aerial firefighting. Based on Karachi
Strategic Development Plan 2020, many high rise buildings are expected to be built in the
coming years and keeping in mind the current trend towards internal fire security and
management, the reliance on external sources will be less. But despite that many high rise
buildings may require aerial firefighting and evacuation services. Therefore threat of substitutes
is moderate.
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Aviation experience
Marketing Mix
Product - helicopter outfitted with firefighting/dousing equipment that can respond to fire
emergencies faced by clients
4.7.4.2.
Customer/Consumer Description
Corporate clients in hospitality, oil and gas sector and old real estate projects
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4.7.4.3.
Retainer
Agreement
Contract
Fire
Notification
Evaluation
Post Action
Evaluation
Action
Deployment
Coordination
1. Retainer Agreement and Contract: Clients will engage Princely Jets on a retainer-based
contract. The contract will stipulate the following
a. Duration of retainership 6 months, 1 year, 5 years
b. Facilities/Locations to be covered for example, PSO would require services to be
provided to their head office as well as warehouse/storage centers, pipeline networks,
petrol station networks etc.
c. Emergency Response Plans Once an agreement is reached, a Princely Jets team will
work with the client organization to create an emergency response plan that details
how emergency reports are to be filed, what flight path the aerial fire unit will take to
reach the facility, what sources of water are available to use for dousing purposes, what
coordination is required with clients staff on ground for emergency rehearsals, drills
and actual events etc. This response plan will need to be vetted and approved by the
CAA for each client.
2. Fire Emergency Notification: Representatives from the client organization will be charged with
contacting Princely Jets in event of a fire emergency. Princely Jets will acknowledge the
emergency response request and route the query to their dedicated terminal, from where the
aerial fire-fighting unit will be deployed.
3. Emergency Evaluation: Based on the information received from the client organization, the
aerial fire response team will determine what fire dousing compound is required. This decision is
dependent on the nature of the fire, which will determine whether it can be doused by water or
whether special chemicals need to be utilized
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4. Deployment and Action: After evaluation, the aerial fire unit will be deployed to the emergency
location, complying with procedures agreed to in the response plan. However, at this point
certain responses will be based on the judgment of the pilot and emergency response crew, to
account for unforeseen factors.
Depending on what kind of fire it is, appropriate chemicals will have to be used in conjunction
with the Bambi bucket. The Bambi bucket can carry chemicals with or without water so
depending on the need of the hour, appropriate compounds will be used.
5. Post-Deployment Evaluation: Following response to a fire emergency, an evaluation will be
conducted to assess damage, the efficacy of Princely Jets emergency response and corrective
actions for improvement purposes.
Eurocopter Affiliation
Eurocopter is a leading aeronautical group and producer of aviation technology. Princely Jets have a
strategic alliance with Eurocopter. Overall, the Groups helicopters account for 33 percent of the total
worldwide fleet. Eurocopters strong worldwide presence is ensured by its 30 subsidiaries and presence
in five continents, along with a dense network of distributors, certified agents and maintenance centers.
There are currently 11,200 Eurocopter helicopters in service and some 2,900 customers in 147
countries. Eurocopter offers the largest civil and military helicopter range in the world. (Eurocopter
Press Release, 2011)
They have provided helicopters for Princely Jets fleet, and are also dedicated providers of pilot, ground
crew and engineering staff trainings for Princely Jets. Two types of helicopters have been acquired by
Princely Jets, the BO 105 and the EC-130/B4. According to GM Operations, Princely Jets is more
dependent on the EC-130/B4 type. Eurocopter determines the air worthiness of the helicopters and
Princely Jets has to abide by the rules of the manufacturers with reference to flying hours, maintenance
and inspection hours (which vary from one type of jet/helicopter to another).
Eurocopter does all initial inspections of the helicopters leased and accordingly provide associated onthe job trainings that enable Princely Jets technicians and engineers to perform basic-level checks. There
are different types of inspections a) Major inspection b) Basic inspection and c) Line maintenance. The
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technicians and engineers are authorized to carry out certain levels of maintenance (authority given by
Eurocopter). Also covered in the accord is Eurocopters provision of spares and services for the
helicopter.
In the case of jets, all maintenance is outsourced to MROs (Maintenance Repair Organizations) which
are responsible for maintenance and inspection. These companies are assigned by Eurocopter.
4.7.5.2.
Training
Maintenance
A Company Exposition Manual is to be prepared as per the CAA regulations. The manual has to be
agreed by the CAA and each page needs to be signed off on by the CAA. Any changes need to follow
through with an amendment process. This document acts the like the guide for the aircraft and contains
all details that are to be followed.
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The maintenance is also determined by the helicopter manufacturer e.g. Eurocopter asks for specific
standards for operations, time based maintenance and air worthiness which need to be strictly followed
by Eurocopter.
The maintenance is looked after by the Princely Jets Chief Engineer.
The different types of inspection are:
1. First line maintenance: This is the basic level maintenance and is handled by Princely Jets
own technicians and engineers who have been trained by Eurocopter.
These are trained professionals who need to be trained further according to the aircraft, on
a course created and provided by the manufacturer who then authorizes them to carry out
certain level of inspection. This is monitored by the air worthiness department of the CAA.
These also consist of the time-based maintenance. For example, after X number of flight
hours, a specified level of inspections should be done. After Y number of hours, certain
moving parts need to be replaced. These are specified by the manufacturer.
2. Major inspections: This is the higher level of maintenance and is outsourced. In cases where
an issue is beyond the scope of local expertise, Princely Jets needs to revert back to the
manufacturer. In such cases Eurocopter sends technicians to Pakistan to handle issues that
first line isnt prepared to handle.
4.7.5.4.
Equipment
Apart from the helicopter specifications mentioned earlier, Princely Jets also needs equipment
specifically related to firefighting and ambulatory care.
The EC130 helicopter can use equipment such as Bambi Buckets, a bucket attached to the helicopter on
a sling which can gather water and then drop it on the fire. With respect to firefighting, Princely Jets
needs firefighting chemicals and equipment. To maintain the quality of service, strict adherence to the
chemicals shelf life must be done and they often need to be discarded and replaced with fresh
materials.
However the B4 7 helicopter is a helicopter designed for ambulatory care and can seat two crew
members and five medical staff. They will also have on board specialized and general medical
equipment such as defibrillators, suction machines, other medical equipment along with first response
equipment.
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However if a client requests for additional equipment, these can be procured based on client
requirements accordingly.
4.7.5.5.
Regulations
All flight standards are laid down by CAA, the regulatory authority. They have rules and regulations that
need to be abided by. Also the manufacturers standards will also be checked by the CAA. Also the
adherence to all maintenance, monitoring, processes, operations and staff qualification is done by CAA.
4.7.5.6.
Process
The service process delivery highlights the end to end process which takes place when a client reports a
fire incident and ends at post-fire recording and evaluation.
However the process starts much before that, when a client signs on Princely Jets for fire safety.
After Princely Jets signs on a contract with a client, they shall physically visit the client locations and map
out the entire service delivery process, identifying the optimal path to location, identifying water bodies
that can be used to refill and create response plans for flight path, entry, and coordination with the
clients staff.
Once the SOPs are charted out, a risk assessment individualized to each client is conducted where all
possible risks are identified and assigned probabilities to predict their likelihood and accordingly the
SOPs may be modified based on the assessment. Once the SOPs are locked in they will be followed for
each client call.
To ensure that all SOPs are in place, there will be regular training sessions to the client site to ensure
no hiccups arise in case of an emergency.
The client will also nominate a coordinator who act as the first contact point with Princely Jets and will
be responsible for alerting Princely Jets in case of an emergency.
The standard reaction time for a fire is 2.5 hours. In case a client wishes to reduce the response time or
have a dedicated helicopter, appropriate equipment and a bigger crew would need to be staffed and
hence the rates would accordingly be increased.
4.7.5.7.
Risks
The major obstacles in operations especially faced in a firefighting situation in an urban setting are:
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1. Wires
2. Poles
3. Man-made objects
There is a high risk of crashing and entanglement. But there is no fixed yardstick for flight restrictions;
its the pilots discretion to see whether he can safely fly. Hence the qualification, experience and pilots
presence of mind are extremely necessary which is why CAA approves all major recruitment of the staff.
4.7.5.8.
Quality Assurance/Control
Currently Princely Jets follows the regulations laid down by CAA but from January 2014, they will shift to
Euro Safety Agency (ESA) as these are being adopted the world over. Therefore to be in line with the
international best practices and attracting flights to international destinations, ESA would be followed.
In aviation, maintenance needs to happen proactively and according to prescribed procedures.
The Quality Assurance department also:
Conducts Quality Audits Based on certain schedule such as on a quarterly basis, audits are
conducted. This is in the manual as well. The Quality Assurance department ensures that any
work that is done is completed by those authorized to perform those tasks and within the scope
of approval so that all activity is traceable and responsibility and accountability maintained.
Conducts Spot Checks Check the helicopter on an ad-hoc basis to motivate staff to perform
their duties responsibly.
Uses a web-based system called CAMP to monitor and track aircrafts. This system lets you
recover the history and details for a particular jet from the landing gear to the flight time to the
maintenance required, etc. A similar system for helicopters will be purchased from Eurocopter
Files a Non-conformance report in case any equipment, activity or inspection is not per the
specifications of the Exposition Manual.
Conducts regular activity based maintenance and upgrade. E.g. Engines are serviced at every
6000 and 10,000 hours flown.
Maintains safety standards as per SAFA safety assessment for aircraft. In case the aircraft
flows to international destinations, they will have to abide by SAFA and in case of nonconformance they may be fined.
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Manages the Engine Data of a Helicopter - After every 40 landings, the flight data is downloaded
and sent to the US for interpretation by a monitoring company which then compiles its findings
in a form a report which is maintained and correlated with the optimal values.
4.7.5.9.
Safety Management
To keep the element of safety at all times, the following internal measures have been implemented:
The exposition manual is regularly maintained and updated and approved by CAA.
All logs for all activities and the operators and their qualifications are maintained and approved
by CAA.
Separation of responsibility internally with the Quality Assurance department separate from
Engineering & Operations.
The procedure of attaching the Bambi bucket to the helicopter has to be carefully followed as
the helicopter needs to be very careful when maneuvering the Bambi bucket when firefighting.
Princely Jets has been authorized to handle its own installation of a Bambi Bucket.
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Year 1
Number of Clients
2
Number of Emergencies per Client 0.12
Total Emergencies
0.24
Flying Time per Emergency (Hours) 2
Total Flying Time (Hours)
0.47
Year 2
4
0.12
0.47
2
0.94
Year 3
10
0.12
1.18
2
2.35
Year 4
15
0.12
1.76
2
3.53
Year 5
20
0.12
2.35
2
4.71
Year 1
2.20%
2.00%
Year 2
2.20%
2.00%
Year 3
2.20%
2.00%
Year 4
2.20%
2.00%
Year 5
2.20%
2.00%
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Costs
Fuel
Parts Reserve
Engine Program
Line Maintenance
Oil & Lubricants
Consumables
Landing Reserve Service
Ground Handling
Total Direct Operating Costs per Hour
Total Direct Operating Costs per Year
Year 1
$/hr
416.98
193.80
255.00
107.10
35.70
15.30
51.10
255.50
1,330.48
626.11
Year 2
$/hr
426.15
197.68
260.10
109.24
36.41
15.61
52.22
261.12
1,358.53
1,278.62
Year 3
$/hr
435.52
201.63
265.30
111.43
37.14
15.92
53.37
266.87
1,387.18
3,263.96
Year 4
$/hr
445.11
205.66
270.61
113.66
37.89
16.24
54.55
272.74
1,416.44
4,999.19
Year 5
$/hr
454.90
209.78
276.02
115.93
38.64
16.56
55.75
278.74
1,446.31
6,806.17
15,300
91,800
22,440
102,200
2,500
6,000
18,360
258,600
15,606
93,636
22,889
104,448
2,500
6,000
18,727
263,806
15,918
95,509
23,347
106,746
2,500
6,000
19,102
269,121
16,236
97,419
23,814
109,095
2,500
6,000
19,484
274,547
16,561
99,367
24,290
111,495
2,500
6,000
19,873
280,086
259,226
265,085
272,385
279,547
286,893
Insurance and salaries make up approximately 74% of fixed costs each year and impact Companys
profitability very adversely. Negotiating decreased insurance premiums and reducing benefits and
endorsements of crew can help improve the bottom line. A 10% decrease in each of these two costs will
increase profits by 15%.
All other costs form minimal portion of total costs and do not impact the overall profitability
considerably.
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Revenues
Annual Retainer Fee per Client
Total Revenue
Year 1 ($)
10,000
20,000
Year 2 ($)
10,000
40,000
Year 3 ($)
10,000
100,000
Year 4 ($)
10,000
150,000
Year 5 ($)
10,000
200,000
259,226
(239,226)
265,085
(225,085)
272,385
(172,385)
279,547
(129,547)
286,893
(86,893)
In this pricing model, the Company continues to reduce its losses over five years but even by the end of
year 5, the Company does not break even.
4.8.1.2.
Revenues
Annual Retainer Fee per Client
Total Revenue
Year 1 ($)
9,000
19,176
Year 2 ($)
9,000
38,353
Year 3 ($)
9,000
95,882
Year 4 ($)
9,000
143,824
Year 5 ($)
9,000
191,765
259,226
(240,050)
265,085
(226,732)
272,385
(176,503)
279,547
(135,723)
286,893
(95,128)
Over the five year period, there are only 4.71 expected flying hours. Hence adding a variable portion to
the pricing plan does not help increase the revenues. The Company does not make profits till the end of
year 5.
4.8.1.3.
Plan 3: $10,000 for two years, $13,000 for year 3 and 4, $15,000 for year 5
Table 4.8-6: Plan 3 Breakdown
Revenues
Annual Retainer Fee per Client
Total Revenue
Year 1 ($)
10,000
20,000
Year 2 ($)
10,000
40,000
Year 3 ($)
13,000
130,000
Year 4 ($)
13,000
195,000
Year 5 ($)
15,000
300,000
259,226
(239,226)
265,085
(225,085)
272,385
(142,385)
279,547
(84,547)
286,893
13,107
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The Company starts generating profits by the end of Year 5. However to increase the retainer fees the
Company needs to show the advantage aerial firefighting has for the clients.
The Company can increase profitability with more clients. The Company does have the facilities to
expand its operations, and all depends on how quickly the Company can land clients.
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Chapter
PRINCELY JETS
Market Readiness
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Phase 1 provided insight into Karachis fire management landscape and the various internal mechanisms
used for fire protection within different industries. Feedback on external fire management/firefighting
services such as the City Fire Brigade were also taken, and it was concluded that internal fire
management systems are becoming more sophisticated but external services leave much to be desired.
Karachi is a growing metropolitan with an increasingly vertical skyline and expanding industrial sector,
and recent years have seen an upsurge in high-profile fire incidents. Hence we derived that the
ineffectiveness of the City Fire Brigade left a vacuum of quality emergency response that could possibly
be filled by an aerial firefighting service.
Phase 2 aimed to create a working business model along which aerial firefighting could be offered to
potential clients. This phase was internally driven, focusing on Princely Jets internal competencies and
resource sets. Benchmarking against practices followed by international aerial firefighting agencies, a
working business model and service delivery format was developed.
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A minor objective of the research was to explore whether a potential partnership between Princely Jets
and insurance agencies was possible. The assumption was that aerial firefighting could be incorporated
into Fire Safety Policies and positioned to insurance clients as a means of lowering insurance premiums.
This means that insurance agencies or re-insurance agencies could serve as an alternative distribution
channel. The interview guide is presented in Exhibit 3 of the Appendix.
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5.3.3.2.
Findings
The in-depth interviews with each agency resulted in fairly similar answers. Fire insurance is offered to
clients as Fire and Allied Perils. When a client approaches the company for fire insurance, the insurance
company conducts audits and inspections to assess the level of fire risk possessed by that company.
Beyond that the insurance company offers advisory services to clients on measures they can take to
lower their risk to fire, which subsequently lowers the premiums clients would have to pay. The
insurance agency cannot enforce any requirements however what measures to adopt and not adopt
are on the discretion of the client. In case the client is not willing to invest in even basic fire
management equipment, the insurance company holds the right to walk away.
Reinsurance agencies deal with insurance agencies on the basis of the risk they carry. Risk is determined
based on the client portfolios an agency caters to. Insurance agencies thus prioritize risk management as
they do not want to expose themselves to unnecessary levels of risk as they will not get the backing of a
reinsurer otherwise. Reinsurers can define criteria that insurance agencies take to their clients on
internal fire management equipment and practices, but again they do not have the authority to enforce
anything. Major reinsures are international players, and the criteria they define is often financially
unfeasible for organizations in a developing economy like Pakistan.
Additionally, the risk appetite differs by insurance agency. One company said that if a client upgrades
their safety infrastructure, they observe the impact of the enhanced safety systems over a 3-year period
to determine whether risk of fire has actually decreased with time. Only then do the insurance
premiums get revised accordingly. Another agency however said that insurance premiums would be
adjusted within a month of any upgrades by the client.
Thus we conclude that insurance companies would not add value as a partner or alternative distribution
channel, as the benefit of lower insurance premiums would be offset by the high initial investment a
client would have to make to engage the aerial firefighting service in the first place. As neither insurers
nor reinsurers have the power to enforce any requirements, it is unlikely that they would be able to
make a case with their clients to engage aerial firefighting.
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High
Rise
High
Rise &
Risk
High
Risk
Target Market
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prepared, the first was designed for respondents already interviewed in Phase 1 and an amended
version was designed for companies that were being interviewed for the first time (See Exhibit 2 of the
Appendix).
For respondents who were being interviewed for the first time for our research, the questionnaire
investigated the companies internal fire management preparedness to standardize the information
gathered from the new respondents.
The questionnaires focused on
Assessing the revised target markets awareness and perception of Princely Jets to gauge the
brand equity and reputation of the service provider
Awareness and perception of aerial firefighting to gauge the market knowledge and willingness
to pay for such a service
Insights into Princely Jets aerial firefighting buying behavior to understand how the service
offering could be improved and complimented.
In the first section of the questionnaire respondents approached in phase 3 were asked about the
internal fire management facilities available in the organization. The table below depicts the facilities
installed by the respondents:
Table 5.4-1: Internal Fire Management of Respondents
Organizations
with facility
Available
100%
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Adequate storage/disposal
of flammable materials
Audits/inspections to
identify and mitigate fire
risks
Regular maintenance and
servicing
14
88%
15
94%
15
94%
13
81%
16
100%
Smoke Detectors
Fire Alarms
Extinguishers
16
100%
14
88%
14
88%
16
100%
Fire hydrants/hoses
Fire buckets/sand
Water tanks/reservoirs
44%
25%
56%
56%
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Fire Tenders
13%
31%
From the above data, it can be concluded that the general preparedness of organizations when it comes
to basic fire management facilities is strong. All the respondents have assigned no smoking zones, fire
alarms and water tanks/reservoirs (Refer to Exhibit 5 of the Appendix).
However, the facilities that are not widely available are those that are more advanced and expensive to
install. It can be noted that companies that are more prone to fire risk and have a high level of
awareness of the consequences of negligent behavior have a installed such facilities, such as fire proof
construction material, centralized building management systems etc. Companies such as Gul Ahmad,
Engro Fertilizer/Foods/Power Generation, Marriot, Avari, Perfect Plastics and Linde can be categorized
as having the best practices available internally, have a high level of awareness about fire risk and view
fire mitigation practices as an investment.
When respondents were asked how prepared they are to manage fire hazards in their organization,
56.3% strongly agreed, 43.8% agreed and none of the respondents disagreed with this statement.
Respondents who strongly agree with this statement are Gul Ahmad, Dolmen, Engro
Fertilizer/Foods/Power Generation, Akzo Nobel, Marriot and Perfect Plastic. Our findings suggest that
these are the organizations that in the table above are listed as organizations that have sophisticated
fire management systems and protocols that are not widely available in other organizations.
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43.8%
56.3%
Agree
5.4.2.2.
Strongly Agree
The purpose of this section is to explore the awareness of the Princely brand amongst the sample
population. Emergency response is a very critical service, and the service provider must possess
credibility in the eyes of the client organization.
5.4.2.2.1.
The Princely brand falls under the Akbar Group Aviation services wing. The client organization is Princely
Jets which also extends into Princely Travels.
Figure 5.4-2: Familiarity with the Princely Brand
Vaguely familiar
Very familiar
19%
19%
62%
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Of the respondents, 62% stated they were not aware of the Princely brand. As per the structure of the
questionnaire, if the respondent was completely unaware of Princely Jets they were asked to skip to the
next section. Those who were vaguely/very familiar were asked to continue with the section i.e. only 6
respondents completed Section 2 of the questionnaire.
5.4.2.2.2.
Familiarity with Princely Services
Respondents familiar with the Princely brand were asked which of the Princely services they were aware
of. Of the 6 respondents, 1 stated that while they were familiar with the overall Princely brand, they
were not aware of specific services hence there is a category of None that accommodates this
respondent.
Of the remaining 5, the highest level of awareness was for the travel agency. The lowest was the of the
air ambulance service offered through Princely Jets
5.4.2.2.3.
2 respondents have experienced Princely Travels services, and 1 respondent namely Engro Corp had
entered into an agreement for Air Ambulance services but the service was never actually utilized.
5.4.2.2.4.
The respondents who had experienced Princely services were asked to rate Princelys performance on
along the following attributes along a scale of 1-Below Average to 3-Above Average.
Customer Service
Quality of Service
Reliability of Service
All parameters were given an Average rating across the board, and all 3 respondents were willing to
engage Princely in the future.
5.4.2.3.
This section analyzed the awareness and perception of aerial firefighting within the respondent pool.
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Of the 16 organizations visited in this phase, 87.5% of the organizations expressed familiarity over the
concept of aerial firefighting and mentioned international examples of forest fires, where helicopters
are used to suppress fires.
Figure 5.4-3: Familiarity with Aerial Fire Fighting
12.5%
50.0%
37.5%
Not familiar
Vaguely familiar
Very familiar
Akzo Nobel and PSO appear to be the two organizations which do not have much familiarity about this
concept.
Once the organizations were briefed about the concept of aerial firefighting, it was investigated whether
they thought such a service was required in a metropolitan city like Karachi. 75% of the respondents
expressed their consent that such a service should be introduced here.
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25%
75%
No
Yes
When the respondents were asked if they wished to engage the Princely Jets aerial service for their
organization, the response was largely negative. Only two organizations namely Mustafa & Company
and Thermoplas responded in affirmative.
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88%
No
Yes
The reasons that the majority mentioned for not engaging the service were that they feel that it is a
public service and should be provided by the government just liked the ground emergency response.
Figure 5.4-7: If not interested in investing in Aerial Firefighting then Why Not?
42.9%
50.0%
Others
However of the two organizations that did show interest in aerial firefighting, quoted an average price of
$ 1,500 agree for an annual retainership.
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5.4.2.4.
Based on the understanding and familiarity that the respondents gained from the interviewers regarding
aerial firefighting and Princely Jets, we then probed into the buying behavior and the supplementary
services that the respondents would prefer in order to make the service more attractive.
The majority of the respondents said that evacuation services along with aerial firefighting would make
Princely Jets service more attractive.
Figure 5.4-8: Which Services Can Make a Package Deal More Attractive?
6
Yes
10
12
No
The respondents showed little inclination towards aerial firefighting and a clear majority showed
disinterest towards paying a higher retainer fee for making use of a dedicated helicopter or making a
helipad on their respective rooftops.
Despite a clear majority showing a disinterest towards the organization, it was heartening to note that
almost 70% of the respondents were willing to meet with a Princely representatives or be invited to the
aerial firefighting demo. Hamdard Packages, Perfect Plastics, Akzo Nobel and Linde were not even
interested in meeting a sales representative. This points towards the fact that even though the
respondents may not be willing for a monetary commitment in engaging Princely Jets, the
organizations do show an interest towards the novel idea of aerial firefighting.
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31.3%
68.8%
No
Yes
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Revenues
Annual Retainer Fee per Client
Total Revenue
Total Costs per Year
Net Profit / Loss
Year 1 ($)
Year 2 ($)
Year 3 ($)
Year 4 ($)
Year 5 ($)
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
3,500
20,882
51,765
108,088
179,412
306,618
261,731
270,199
280,545
291,211
305,610
(240,848)
(218,435)
(172,457)
(111,800)
1,008
If a financial plan is made on this price, the Company will break even in year 5 with 75 clients.
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Chapter
PRINCELY JETS
Recommendations
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6. Chapter 6: Recommendations
This section of the report will focus on developing a comprehensive launch plan for Princely Jets to
introduce aerial firefighting in Karachi. The plan uses information already presented in earlier sections to
position Princely Jets as the service-of-choice for aerial emergency response services.
Aerial Firefighting
Aerial Evacuation
Possible service segments that the company can expand into in order to strengthen its image as an
expert in emergency response are:
Aerial Surveillance
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6.1.3. Partners/Affiliates
Currently, the skill sets and the credentials Princely Jets hold are not sufficient to establish it as the first
choice in terms of emergency response and fire safety. To break away from the core aviation business
and to establish reliability that the clients require before they engage any services, Princely Emergency
Response will need to partner with established international bodies which have a credible reputation
when it comes to emergency response. This will lend instant credibility to the newly found business.
Princely Jets has completed its first order of business by being trained on the helicopters by its supplier
Eurocopter. However, in order to attract clientele, the first step would be to complete the requisite
training of international standards of fire safety. Training from the International Fire Service Training
Association will greatly benefit in understanding the mechanism, safety precautions, risks and best
practices that should be followed in times of emergencies. Various courses can be ordered such as
Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting, Structural Fire Fighting: High-Rise Fire Fighting and Fire Service Search
and Rescue amongst others. (International Fire Safety Training Association, 2013)
In addition to the above, Princely Emergency Response will greatly benefit if it partners with
international organizations such as the following international organizations. Princely Emergency
Response can partner with each organization based on their respective competencies.
Falck: International network and global presence in major emergency management and initial
response, fire and emergency medical services. (Falck Services, 2013)
Blake Emergency: Live Disaster Management, Emergency Response Planning and Client
Training. (Blake Emergency, 2013)
To add onto the Princely Emergency Response brand name, the name of the affiliated organization (e.g.
Princely Emergency Response, A XYZ affiliated Akbar Group company) will increase the brand
recognition and awareness and hence add to the credibility required of organizations of this nature.
To further develop the Princely Emergency Response brand and to align all the management,
operational, marketing and pricing activities, the following brand elements are developed:
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Brand Vision: Princely Emergency Response should emerge as the first choice for all safety
conscious organizations where it reliably delivers a complete emergency response solution.
Brand Promise: A one-stop solution for aerial emergency response needs. Based on its training
and resource capabilities, Princely Emergency Response will ensure that it delivers reliably and
consistently so that the damage is mitigated to the maximum.
Brand Delivery: Based on the contract with each client, Princely will chart an Emergency
Response Service Level Agreement that will have detailed Standard Operating Procedures,
Turnaround Time and defined responsibilities. There will be practice drills so that in case of an
emergency a smooth operation entails.
Brand Positioning: For the safety conscious organizations that require a trusted and reliable
partner, Princely Emergency Response is a comprehensive emergency response solution that
takes care of all safety needs by providing aerial firefighting, aerial ambulatory care and aerial
evacuation. Unlike the inadequate and inefficient public services available, Princely Emergency
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Response is the first of its kind one-stop service utilizing helicopters and international training
and affiliation to provide reliable and efficient services every time.
c. Liaison with the flight crew and emergency team to ensure timely deployment
d. Communicate between client and emergency response team to provide real time
updates on the fire emergency, changes in severity, success of dousing etc.
Flight crew, fleet, ground crew and functions such as Human Resources, Finance and General
Administration can be shared with Princely Jets.
Retainer
Agreement
Contract
Fire Risk
Assessment
Trainings and
Rehearsals
Fire Breakout
Notification
Evaluation
Action
Post Action
Reporting
Development
Coordination
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1. Retainer Agreement and Contract: Clients will engage Princely Emergency Response on a
retainer-based contract. The contract will stipulate the following
a. Duration of retainer-ship
b. Facilities/Locations to be covered
c. Emergency Response Plans An end to end detailed process flow shall be charted that
will be made by the client and Princely Emergency response jointly.
2. Fire Risk Assessment and Trainings: Once the contract is created, Princelys team will
collaborate with the client and conduct a preliminary assessment of possible fire hazards, and
develop an emergency response mechanism. Key personnel from the client will be trained
accordingly to initiate necessary protocols in case of a fire incident.
3. Fire Emergency Notification: Representatives from the client organization will be charged with
contacting Princely Emergency Response in event of a fire emergency. Princely Emergency
Response will acknowledge the emergency response request and route the query to their
dedicated terminal for deployment.
4. Emergency Evaluation: Based on the information received from the client organization, the
aerial fire response team will determine what fire dousing compound is required.
5. Deployment and Action: After evaluation, the aerial fire unit will be deployed to the emergency
location, complying with procedures agreed to in the response plan.
6. Post-Deployment Reporting: A complete fire incident report will be filled and an evaluation will
be conducted to assess damage, the efficacy of Princely Emergency Response, and corrective
actions for improvement purposes.
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ambulatory care, specialized and general medical equipment such as defibrillators, suction
machines, and other medical equipment along with first response equipment will be required.
b. Process
The service process delivery highlights the end-to-end process which takes place when a client
reports a fire incident and ends at post-fire recording and evaluation. However the process
starts much before that. After Princely Emergency Response signs on a contract with a client,
they shall physically visit the client locations and map out the entire service delivery process,
identifying the optimal path to location, identifying water bodies that can be used to refill and
create response plans for flight path, entry, and coordination with the clients staff.
Once the SOPs are charted out, a risk assessment individualized to each client is conducted
where all possible risks are identified and assigned probabilities to predict their likelihood and
accordingly the SOPs may be modified based on the assessment. Once the SOPs are locked in
they will be followed for each client call.
To ensure that all SOPs are in place, there will be regular training sessions at the client site so
that no issues arise in case of an emergency.
The client will also nominate a coordinator who will act as the first contact point with Princely
Emergency Response and will be responsible for alerting Princely Emergency Response in case
of an emergency.
c. Emergency Call Center/ Information Cell
A round the clock emergency call center is imperative. Princely Emergency Response may even
partner with existing networks such as that of Aman Foundations where not only they have a
functionality for monitoring Karachis geographic parameter for any disaster but also have a very
robust call center and information cell from which their ambulances nearest to the incident are
alerted. Since Princely Emergency Responses services are restricted to daylight timings, a
mechanism either by way of a voice recording or a call center agent should reiterate the same to
the clients.
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d. Human Resource
As described above in the Management Team section, it is vital to have trained, professional
staff on board as the service requires high risk judgment calls at most times. Also staff needs to
be trained in how to handle emergency response calls, ask the right questions efficiently and
effectively communicate that information to the Fire Specialist and helicopter deployment
team.
e. Regulations
All Flight standards laid down by CAA, the regulatory authority need to be abided by. Also the
manufacturers standards will also be checked by the CAA. Also the adherence to all
maintenance, monitoring, processes, operations and staff qualifications should be done as per
standards mandated by the CAA.
f.
Training
Training will need to take place throughout the year and it may include visits from the
Eurocopter team. The training specific to a client will take place every time a new contract is
made. Dry rehearsals will be carried out once a month so that the staff is well-trained and
prepared to fight any kind of fire in such an emergency.
g. Maintenance
A Company Exposition Manual is a critical requirement that needs to be prepared as per the
CAA regulations. Since this document acts the like the guide for the aircraft and contains all
details that are to be followed, any changes need to follow through with an amendment
process.
h. Safety Management
To ensure safety at all times, the following internal measures should be implemented:
o
The exposition manual is to be regularly maintained and updated and approved by CAA.
All logs for all activities and the operators and their qualifications are to be maintained
and approved by CAA.
Adherence with ISO standards related to fire fighting and equipment used.
Apart from the above mentioned critical operational considerations, a comprehensive list can be
referred to in section 4.7.5. Operational Details (pg 116) of the report.
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skyscrapers coming up which will require aerial response units for fire and related emergencies
as they will become out-of-reach for the land-based units. The emerging trend of high-rise
buildings in Karachi was the most cited reason by respondents when asked why they felt that
aerial firefighting was required in Karachi. Therefore, this factor can safely be considered a
driver for demand for aerial response units.
Current Emergency Facilities are Substandard: The substandard fire emergency services that
are provided by the city fire department act as another driver of demand for alternative
services. This factor was cited as the second most important reason why aerial firefighting is
required in Karachi. Therefore, an alternative service can be positioned based on the point-ofdifferentiation of being able to provide superior reliability as compared to current services.
Increase in fire incidents in Karachi: As mentioned earlier in the report, it is estimated that fire
incidents in Pakistan result in deaths of 16,500 people and leave another 164,000 injured every
year (Mahtab, 2010). The number of fire incidents is also on the rise with most of the
respondents in Phase 1 of the research agreeing that fire incidents occur very often in Karachi.
Hence, coupled with the aforementioned two factors, this adds on as a significant driver for the
demand of alternative firefighting services.
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A more complete picture of all the demand drivers for aerial firefighting is given in the model below.
Figure 6.2-1: External Environment Model
This model of the external environment looks to consider all current and future factors that may have
varying effects on the demand for aerial firefighting.
The factors in red are those that affect the demand on a macro level. These macro-level factors in
Pakistan are then compared to the same cities from the Country Benchmarking section in the
subsequent table. These cities were selected because they have aerial firefighting in place and are
metropolitan areas broadly similar to Karachi. The table illustrates a distinct gap amongst these key
factors.
The factors in blue are those that directly affect the demand and any change in these factors might show
a significant change in acceptability and adoption of aerial firefighting in organizations.
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The table below shows that Pakistan lags severely behind other countries on macroeconomic factors,
which may be a reason that Pakistan needs to improve on these factors before it may be provided with
aerial firefighting as a service.
Table 6.2-1: Comparison of Macroeconomic Factors across Benchmarked Countries
Factors
Pakistan
Japan
USA
UAE
South Africa
Literacy Rate
54.9% 13
99%
99%
90%
93%
21%
14
$ 2,880 15
$ 36,300
$ 52,610
$ 41,500
$ 11,010
3.59% 16
0.3%
3.2%
4.4%
0.7%
$ 2491 17
$31,425
$ 45,336
$ 37,392
$10,960
13
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High-Risk Categorization: All sectors categorized as Risk Level 4 and above in the chart
presented in Exhibit 4 can be considered as High-Risk sectors.
High Rise
The
Highfliers
The
Daredevils
High Risk
Low Risk
The Safe
Havens
The Risktakers
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Low Rise
The segmentation strategy that is suggested is a composite of these two models i.e. high-risk and highrise. This results in a segmentation matrix creating 4 distinct segments as shown in Figure 6.3-1. It also
provides direction on which segment to target first.
The segment named the Daredevils is the most attractive segment and should be the one that the
company spends most time and effort selling the service to initially. This segment includes companies
with high-rise operations that are a part of sectors belonging to Property Risk Categorization Levels 4 to
7 from the chart presented in Exhibit 4. This segment would include companies like Avari Towers,
Marriott, Dolmen City Mall etc.
The segment named the Highfliers is the next attractive segment and includes companies with high-rise
operations that are a part of sectors belonging to Property Risk Categorization Levels 1 to 3 from the
chart presented in Exhibit 4. This segment would include the Institute of Business Administration (IBA),
Engro Corporation, Creek Vista apartments etc.
The segment named the Risk-takers is the last of the possible attractive segments and includes
companies with low-rise operations that are a part of sectors belonging to Property Risk Categorization
Levels 4 to 7 from the chart presented in Exhibit 4. This segment can include businesses like PSO, Engro
Fertilizer, Gul Ahmad Textile etc.
The segment named the Safe Havens is an unattractive segment and includes those companies that are
low-risk and are low-rise which means that they have no particular incentive of buying into aerial
emergency services. This segment would include Institute of Business Management (IOBM), Ziauddin
University Hospital, Aga Khan University Hospital etc.
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Target Groups
1. Citizens
2. Government
Aerial
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Firefighting globally
3. Associations
e.g. Fire & Safety Association of
Pakistan
4. Business & Commercial Sector
2. Partnership
Announcements
(Eurocopter)
3. Live Demos
4. Newspaper Articles
5. Press Conferences
of promoting 1. Pamphlets
Firefighting 2. Live Demos/Show Reels
Benefits
Aerial
awareness
Benefits of adopting the 1. Live Demos
service
of
Aerial 2. Show Reels
3. Presentations
Firefighting
4. Promotional
Material
e.g.
Pamphlets, refer to Website.
5. Cost/Benefit Analysis
5. NGOs
Benefits
of
Aerial 1. Pamphlets
e.g. Fire Protection Association Firefighting in saving 2. Live Demos/Show Reels
of Pakistan (FPAP)
human lives
3. Success Stories
4. Testimonials from satisfied users
6.
Regulators/Fire
Auditors
Aerial
3. Press Releases:
Information can be communicated via Television news channels in the form of short aerial firefighting
documentaries or announcements about the launch of a new aerial firefighting service to create media
hype and raise public awareness. Articles can be published in newspapers (print and online) educating
the readers about aerial firefighting.
Placing advertisement in specialist magazines such as The Fire & Safety Alert (Fire & Safety Alert), The
Economist, Herald or Blue Chip, Fire & Security Alert magazines can give the benefit of an identifiable
audience/captive audience, a clear segmented audience i.e. corporate/business professionals and lastly
the credibility and image of the magazine will add to Princely Emergency Responses brand reputation.
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Press Releases should be rolled out monthly for the first six months, after launch of the service. A media
database should be developed and maintained which will contain a list of journalists that handle
publishing news items related to the firefighting sector.
4. Aerial Firefighting Demos:
Live demos can serve as an excellent PR tool to draw attention towards aerial firefighting. By
experiencing live aerial firefighting demonstrations Industry Experts, government officials, media
personnel, association heads etc. can learn about the new technologies and techniques of fire
suppression.
The event can be used to showcase the helicopter fleet, trained pilots, operations team, the latest
firefighting equipment and techniques that ensure an effective firefighting solution.
5. Pamphlets/Newsletters:
The newsletter can serve as a great tool to make the target groups aware of the company, the service
and how it will benefit those who engage the service. The newsletter can also be embedded and
accessed via the Princely Emergency Response website and regularly updated.
6. Online Activation:
Website:
The first step in building an online presence should be the development of a separate Princely
Emergency Response website that consists of:
Demo Videos
Equipment details
Process and technical details about Air Ambulance and Aerial Firefighting
News/Press Releases
RSS feeds which consist of news about aerial firefighting (local and global news) and feature
related blogs
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Client Portfolio
Sitemap
The website should be search engine optimized to ensure high visibility on the Google search engine.
Whilst developing the website content, it is imperative that important keywords that have high search
results, for e.g., aerial firefighting in Pakistan or firefighting techniques, are used to make the
page/website more relevant for any aerial firefighting related searches conducted.
Creating Linkages to other articles/blogs will bolster the websites optimization and increase its visibility
online. The website should also be integrated with other social media platforms, such as Facebook and
Twitter, by incorporating widgets on the upper right corner of the website.
Social Media:
The second step in developing an online presence should be to create a Facebook page for Princely
Emergency Response. The Facebook Page should serve as a tool for engaging users and creating
awareness about aerial firefighting and instantly sharing news related to the industry. Uploading demo
videos can lead to videos becoming viral as users share them on their profiles that create a multiplier
effect as their friends share it further and so on. Developing linkages with other popular pages (for e.g.
The Express Tribune or Fire Protection Association of Pakistan) with an already established follower base
can help promote the pages content and increase the engagement rate and its visibility.
A Twitter account should also be created to share real-time updates, photos, videos, respond to any
queries about aerial firefighting and hence increase awareness about the service. Updates on Twitter
should not be more than 140 characters and each tweet should be accompanied by relevant or trending
hash tags for e.g. #Aerialfirefighting or #Princelyemergency. These instant updates can be quoted in
news articles and can help spread the news.
The digital form of press release, Blogs can be an effective way to reach the online audience and
maintain two-way communication. By engaging bloggers to write about Princely Emergency Responses
initiative, its alliances and partnerships as well as covering success stories/ events/fire outbreaks, blogs
can have a positive impact on publicity of the company, public opinion and word of mouth.
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2. Informational Pamphlets: For clients who are less comfortable with online touch-points,
hardcopy pamphlets/informational brochures must be shared with them following meetings.
3. Voluntary Fire Risk Assessment: As an initial foot-in-the-door strategy, Princely can offer a probono lite fire risk assessment to a potential client. This would require a site visit by the Princely
Fire Risk Specialist who can then provide a basic overview of the clients fire risk. If the client
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requests a more detailed report, a paid consulting exercise can be offered accordingly. As a first
step, a pro-bono assessment can serve as a hook, showcasing Princelys expertise and reinforce
an image of credibility. The assessment would serve as a customized, tangible touch-point and
be prepared/branded in a manner consistent with the brand strategy.
4. Trainings/Drills: Clients that agree to engage Princely will then be partnered with to create
emergency response plans. Key personnel on the client side will be identified and emergency
response training sessions will possibly be required to ensure that the client is educated on
appropriate emergency protocols. These training sessions and all associated materials serve as
touch-points as well.
5. Post-Emergency Assessment Report: In the event that an emergency takes place that Princely
responds to, a Post-Emergency report can be prepared in collaboration with the client to assess
cause of the emergency, whether or not the emergency response was successful, areas for
improvement and a revision of emergency response protocol as and when needed.
Other touch-points such as a corporate website, magazine publications etc. will be equally valuable as
selling tools as they can be shared with clients to provide ongoing information and generate recall.
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The following section utilizes the target segments specified earlier and proposes pricing strategies so
that those segments can be monetized.
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Industry Segment
The Daredevils
The Highfliers
The Risk-takers
20
30
100
150
Adjustment %
Number of Clients
Number of Emergencies per Client
Total Emergencies
Flying Time per Emergency (Hours)
Total Flying Time (Hours)
300
150
150
Total Revenue
Year 1
150
0.12
17.65
2
35.29
($)
306,000
1,330.48
46,957.98
258,600
305,558
442
2.20%
2.00%
72000
54000
180000
306000
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Risk Rating
Subscription/month
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
$50
$50
$50
$100
$150
$200
$250
Taking SITE as an example, the table below shows a possible financial plan with breakeven in 1 year.
There are approximately 3000 companies in SITE and for the financial model, it is assumed that 10% of
companies from each industry will subscribe to the aerial firefighting service.
Table 6.7-3: Site Model Based on Risk Rating Methodology
Industry Type
Risk Rating
Textile
Allied Textile
Oil & Soap
Silk
Foodstuffs
Chemicals
Engineering
Plastic
Miscellaneous
Commercial
Optical
Pharmaceuticals
Glass
Paints
Tannery
Garments
550
250
20
140
35
65
300
75
1295
100
1
40
10
30
10
80
4
6
3
5
2
5
1
4
4
4
4
2
2
4
4
4
55
25
2
14
4
7
30
8
130
10
1
4
1
3
1
8
303
66,000
60,000
1,200
25,200
2,400
12,600
18,000
9,600
156,000
12,000
1,200
2,400
600
3,600
1,200
9,600
381,600
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Year 1
Number of Clients
Number of Emergencies per Client
Total Emergencies
Flying Time per Emergency (Hours)
Total Flying Time (Hours)
303
0.12
35.65
2
71.29
Total Revenue
381,600
1,330.48
94,855.11
258,600
353,455
28,145
2.20%
2.00%
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Integrate Aerial Firefighting, Aerial Ambulatory Care, and Aerial Evacuation under the umbrella
of Princely Emergency Response.
Execute all necessary restructuring required for integrating three service units.
Recruit and select a management team for Princely Emergency Services and train them
accordingly.
Create a detailed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) document based on the Service Delivery
Model already presented in this report.
Initiate awareness building campaign by executing the public relations plan mentioned in the
report. Concentrate on having multiple live demos and amplifying them through mass media
coverage. Also attend relevant conferences and events to emphasize on the linkage with
emergency services.
Start building company database of clients based on information already present that can be
used to segment them according to the 3 segments identified.
Prospect maximum clients across Karachi in order to expand the company database. This
database along with the segmentation criteria will allow the company to assign priorities on the
clients and then target them accordingly.
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With awareness built up owing to the demos and subsequent media amplification, the company
in this quarter should focus on the creating mass consideration. This can be done by sending a
Princely Emergency Response branded package to clients which includes multiple items such as
a CD that shows a video of the demo, informational pamphlets that allows the clients to clearly
understand the service, and other branded merchandise.
Voluntary Fire Risk Assessments should be conducted for important clients that can be
considered as the innovators i.e. the type that is most likely to try the service first. This fire risk
assessment would serve as the initial foot-in-the-door and ease closing deals for the following
quarter.
Focus on creating consideration amongst The Daredevils segment which is the most attractive in
terms of need (based on high-risk and high-rise classification) and monetary value.
Closed and finalized deals with 20 (or more) of the Daredevil segment companies required to
attain the break-even target of Year 1.
Prospected a vast client base and finalized the database that divides all companies across
Karachi into the three segments.
Closed and finalized 15 (or more) of the Highfliers segment companies as well as 50 (or more) of
the Risk-takers segment companies in order to meet the break-even target of Year 1.
Quarter 4: Servicing
During this quarter, the company should focus on servicing the newly signed client-base and gain
loyalty. Additionally, the company should also focus on closing deals with remaining Highfliers and Risktakers segment companies in order to meet the break-event target of Year 1.
177 | P a g e
6.9. Conclusion
Based on Root Cause Analysis and Country Benchmarking, it is evident that an aerial firefighting service
is required in Karachi. Its narrow lanes, increasing high rise buildings, lack of facilities with city fire
brigade, and dense population make it a very viable market for an aerial firefighting service. There are
no policies which would hinder a private sector investment in this industry. An aerial firefighting service
on the lines of those found in Portland and Cape Town appears to have potential.
The primary research however reveals that the Karachi market may not willing or ready to buy such a
service at this point in time. As discussed earlier, only two out of sixteen respondents agreed to
subscribe to this session. The organizations interviewed have not reached a level of sophistication that
would make them purchase such a service. Very few corporations had strong knowledge about this
service. Several respondents also suggested that the government should be responsible for providing
these services and the corporations should not be charged for it.
However keeping in mind the above mentioned business models and financial feasibilities, Princely Jets
needs to upgrade its internal systems and processes, and develop a new brand that has accreditation or
affiliation with fire safety associations/consultancies to derive a degree of credibility for itself. Then
awareness building, PR efforts etc. can be leveraged to create the necessary awareness so that when the
time comes i.e. if they should implement the recommended stakeout strategy, they are ready to spring
into action and generate visibility for themselves in that way. One success story is essential in
developing interest in demand within the Karachi business market.
178 | P a g e
7. Appendix
How often do you think fires break out in Karachi? In your opinion, is it a major problem in the
city? Please give reasons for your opinion.
In your opinion, what do you feel are the root causes behind fire outbreaks in the city? Can they
be attributed to poor infrastructure, a lack of awareness, irresponsible management, or then
maybe a lack of proper products/services to fight fires? If you feel there are any other reasons,
then please mention them and give reasons for your opinion.
What products/services do you think are missing in the market through which we could
be better prepared for fire incidents?
What steps/measures do you think could be taken to enhance protection and security
against fire breakouts in the city?
179 | P a g e
How many facilities/offices does your organization have? (e.g. warehouses, factories, regional
offices)
At present, what fire management resources does your organization provide to these different
facilities? (e.g. equipment like fire extinguishers and hoses, fire alarms)
Do you conduct emergency response trainings for your employees? (e.g. test evacuation drills).
How often are they conducted?
Would you say you were ill prepared? If yes then why?
If yes, then what is covered and with whom are you insured?
Are there any other emergency services you engage? (first aid training, ambulances etc.)
If you were to assess the level of preparedness of your organization for fire incidents (1-not at
all to 5-all possible measures have been taken), how highly would you rate yourself? And why
would you rate yourself so?
If you had one service or facility available at hand that could further enhance your fire safety
system, what would it be and why?
180 | P a g e
Fire Detection
Smoke Detectors
Heat Sensors
Fire Alarms
Centralized Building Management Systems
Fire Suppression
Sprinklers
Extinguishers
Fire hydrants/hoses
Fire buckets/sand
Fire Tenders
181 | P a g e
Water tanks/reservoirs
Smoke extraction system
3. How strongly do you agree with this statement: I am fully prepared to manage fire hazards in
my organization
Strongly Disagree Disagree
Agree Strongly Agree
Now that we have a better understanding of your organization, wed like to ask you about the service
provider we represent Princely Jets.
__________________________________________________________________
Just to introduce the company formally, Princely Jets is the aviation side of the Akbar Group of
Companies and is a well reputed name in the field of aviation. Princely Jets is Pakistan's first private
charter jet operator, based at Jinnah International Airport, Karachi. They provide charter jet and
helicopter service as well as aerial ambulatory care.
Now, wed like to tell you about a new type of service that Princely Jets is exploring Aerial
Firefighting.
No
It Depends on _________________________________
18. Would you be willing to create a space for a helipad at the facility youd like covered by a
Princely Jets aerial firefighting unit?
Yes
No
19. Would you be willing to meet with a Princely Jets representative to discuss this service further?
Yes
No
Name:
Designation:
Organization:
Contact Number:
Email address:
Thank you for your time. We really appreciate your response.
184 | P a g e
If we introduce a service to manage fire and it is engaged by a client, how does that impact the
fire insurance premium paid?
185 | P a g e
2. What are the key components of an insurance agreement? (Valuation, assessment of risk,
premium calculation, mitigating factors, classification of insurance needed. Probe further about
the relationship between risk and premiums.)
3. What is fire insurance and what are its key components? Is fire insurance a stand-alone product
or does is it get bundled with other types (life insurance, terrorism, property etc.)
4. What is the structure of a standard fire insurance policy for the corporate sector? Does this vary
significantly by sector?
5. Which sectors are the biggest customers for fire insurance? Which sectors pay the highest
premium? (Probe about which companies within these sectors)
6. How is fire risk assessed, and what is the relationship between fire risk and the premiums
charged?
7. What steps can a client take to reduce the fire premiums paid?
8. Are there any services or products or safety precautions that you require a client to implement
when devising a fire insurance policy? For e.g., in some car insurance policies, installations of
trackers are necessary when getting insured. Are there any similar requirements for fire? (e.g.
do you offer any consultancy to help clients reduce their risk, do you bundle on any additional
services, do you create specific requirements e.g. you must have X number of extinguishers per
floor?)
9. If a new service for fire management is introduced e.g. advanced detection, aerial fire-fighting,
evacuation/rescue etc., and fire insurance holders engage these services, would it affect their
premiums?
186 | P a g e
1
2
3
4
5
6
Apartments
Banks / Offices
Bottle Top Manufacturers
Car Park Building
Conference Centers
Doctor's & Dentist's Clinics & Surgeries
No.
No.
No.
No.
CATEGORY LEVEL WITH 1 BEING THE LOWEST RISK AND 7 BEING THE HIGHEST RISK
1 Adhesives water based
2 antiques, art & craft shops
3 Audio & Video equipments shops
4 Battery dry cells
5 Bonded warehouse (Public)
6 Breweries
7 Canvas Sheet Manufacturer
8 Carbonic acid gas & Carbon Di Oxide factories
9 Carpet & other Floor coverings
10 Cloth Printing Premises without warranty
11 Distil eries
12 Electric Bulb, Lamp & tube Factories
13 Electrical Goods Manufacturers
14 Embroidery Factories
15 Fish Meal factories and Manual work
16 Furniture warehouse and Showrooms
17 Ghee boiling premises
18 Hosiery & Thread factories
19 Ink factories
20 Lithographic works
21 Motor Car Workshop
22 Paper & Cardboard Mil s
23 Pen, Holders and Pencil factories
24 Poultry feed Industry
25 Power Loom factories not forming part of textile
26 Printing Press Premises
27 Records, Tapes & CD Shops
28 Rice Mil s & Godowns
29 Soap / Detergent Plant
30 Sport Goods
31 Starch factories
32 Tarpauline & Canvas Proofing factories
33 Tea Factories
34 Telephone Equipment Factories
35 Towel Manufacturing
36 Wool cleaning &/or pressing factories
No.
1 Aloe Fibres
2 Brush & Broom works
3 Cellophane works
4 Cinematograph film production studios
5 Cotton Ginning & Pressing
6 Cotton Waste dealers
7 Cotton Waste factories
8 Fertilizer factories
9 Hay loose in godown
10 Kerosine Oil Stores
11 Power Plant (IPP)
12 Rubber reclaiming works
13 Tallow & Fat Refining
14 Turpentine & Resin factories
15 Tyre manufacture
No.
No.
1 Ammunition Factories
2 Asbestos Goods Manufacturer
3 Casinos
4 Club Drinking/Disco , Gambling & Night club & Dance Hall
5 explosive materials
6 explosives factories
7 Extra high hazard chemical risks not otherwise classified
8 Fast Food Restaurant Chains
9 flammable gases
10 flammable liquids with flash point below 90 F
11 Match factories
12 Quilt Factories
13 Religious institutions
14 Terrorism
187 | P a g e
188 | P a g e
Sector
Company
Dolmen Mall
Hotel Owners
Marriott
CAT 4
Avari
Paint and Varnishes Factory
Akzo Nobel
Thermoplas
Perfect Plastic Industries
Engro PowerGen
Spice Mills
National Foods
&7
CAT. 6
CAT. 5
Shan Foods
Cardboard Box Manufacturer
Hamdard Packaging
PSO
Fertilizer Factories
Engro Fertilizer
Flammable Gases
Linde
189 | P a g e
Creek Vista
Apartments
Dubai Islamic Bank
Dolmen Mall Clifton
Engro Fertilizer
Contact Person
Mr. Nasim
Ahmed
Capt Shehzad
Zafar
Lt. Commander (
R ) Sartaj Hussain
Adnan
Khandwala
Designation
Assistant Manager - Fire
Prevention and Safety
Manager Corporate Safety &
Security
Chief Security Officer
Contact Details
021-34930051
Mr. Tasneem
Adnan.khandwala@tplproperty.com,
0300-8252000
0300 8251358
021-35660100
021-35092663
S.M. Alimullah
Mohiuddin Qadri
Mehmood
Siddiqui
Hussain Sabz Ali
Institute of Business
Administration
K-Electric
Capt Syed
Faheemuddin
Khalid Nadeem
Linde Pakistan
Limited
Marriott
Mashood Zia
Israr Haq
Sohail Akhter
Manager HSE
0300-200-8508,
israrhq@marriottkarachi.com
0333-2166137
Major Tariq
r.tariq@pnsc.com.pk
Munazza
Khan/Nehal
Askari
Ali Ahmad
Manager HSE
0321-2014986
DGM, HSE
0322-2225352
Hasan Ahmed
Head- Security
021-35862937
021-35694507
0333-2225810
msiddiqi@engro.com
021-32432484
111-422-422
0346-822-3591,
khalid.nadeem@kesc.com.pk
0300-8419141
190 | P a g e
Contact Person
Muhammad Ihsan Ul
Haq
Capt Shehzad Zafar
Mohiuddin Qadri
Wajid Hussain Junejo
Engro Fertilizer
Mehmood Siddiqui
Engro PowerGen
Muhammad Shahid
Nadeem
Anis Ahmed
Humayun Aslam
Aftab M. Karimjee
Gul Ahmed
Hamdard Packaging
Mustafa & Company
(Pvt) Ltd.
Linde Pakistan Limited
Mashood Zia
Marriott
Israr Haq
National Foods
Faisal Humayun
Perfect Plastic
Industries
Pakistan State Oil
Shan Foods
Thermoplas
Fahad Mirza
Munazza Khan/Nehal
Askari
Syed Ali Asad Quadri
Balal Haider
Designation
Production Manager
Manager Corporate Safety &
Security
Manager - Fire and Safety
Head of Procurement and
Administration
Manager- Health Safety and
Environment for Engro Fertilizer
HSE Supervisor
Manager Fire and Safety
Managing Director
Managing Director
Manager - Safety Health
Environment and Quality
Head of Safety
Deputy Manager Quality
Assurance
Owner
Manager HSE
Manager Administration
Director
Contact Details
0308-4449967,
Ihsan.ul.haq@akzonobel.com
021-35660100
0333-2225810
111-211-211,
wjunejo@engro.com
msiddiqi@engro.com
0300-8318870,
msnadeem@engro.com
111-485-485
021-35060485
021-34538656
0300-8419141
0300-200-8508,
israrhq@marriottkarachi.com
0321 2309401,
faisal.humayun@nfoods.com
0301-8295678
Fahad@perfectplastic.pk
0321-2014986
021-35053076-79
0300-8259406
balal@thermoplas.com
191 | P a g e
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