No parts for repair, no buyers for auction: China-donated firefighting bikes left to rust

Specialised motorcycles donated by the Chinese government to Bangladesh's Fire Service and Civil Defence in 2017 have remained out of service since 2019 because of battery and charger failures and a lack of spare parts.

Each 250cc motorcycle was valued at around Tk8 lakh. Despite several repair attempts, the vehicles could not be restored to working condition. The fire service also failed to find buyers despite repeated attempts to sell them at auction.

According to fire service sources, the motorcycles were donated to help firefighters reach narrow roads, congested areas and locations inaccessible to conventional fire engines, allowing them to take initial steps to control fires. Each motorcycle was equipped with a 30-yard hose and could carry 39 litres of water.

The vehicles initially proved effective in firefighting and rescue operations. During their first six months of use, they played a significant role in the department's response to at least 250 fires and accidents, according to the sources. Their ability to reach incident sites quickly and take preliminary firefighting measures also drew praise.

However, the vehicles' effectiveness was short-lived. Their batteries and chargers began failing one after another within a few years, eventually making the motorcycles difficult to operate. The fire service said they had become completely unusable by 2019.

The department subsequently made several attempts to restore them. Representatives of the donor organisation visited Bangladesh twice to carry out repairs but did not return. Further attempts to repair the motorcycles at different locations across the country also failed because of persistent battery problems and the unavailability of essential spare parts.

The motorcycles now lie unused at fire stations across the country, including in Purbachal. Years of disuse have raised further uncertainty about whether they can be restored to working condition.

Unable to put the specialised vehicles back into service, the Fire Service and Civil Defence turned to auctioning them as an alternative. However, repeated attempts failed to attract buyers.

Fire service sources said the department had sought to make the best use of its limited resources and tried to repair the donated motorcycles rather than leave them idle. But the lack of essential spare parts and persistent battery problems ultimately prevented their return to service.